


My Sweet Boy

by lilac_lungs



Category: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Genre: Adopted mom, Domestic Fluff, Edward is baby, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mother-Son Relationship, My First AO3 Post, Reader-Insert, Self-Indulgent, Touch-Starved, Whump, alternative ending, mentions of domestic abuse, protect him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27665900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilac_lungs/pseuds/lilac_lungs
Summary: In the Inventor’s will, everything he owned went to his assistant, including Edward.Or:Edward reunites with his adopted mom.
Comments: 34
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

_“Sir, is everything okay? Is he alive?” I stood at the front door, nearly out of breath from rushing to the mansion so quickly. It was unusual for him to call her at this time at night, so she knew what the occasion was for._

_“Ah, yes come in!” He hobbled out my way so I could enter._

_I noticed right away parts from his electronic assembly line were missing. I gave him a puzzled look, but he ignored me and led me behind all the bulky steel machines._

_I was caught off guard when I saw a pale young man with raven colored hair staring back at me. I automatically backed away at the sight of his hands, but he just sat there calmly, his hands twitching every now and then._

_I was always used to seeing him still and lifeless, but there he was, sitting upright and alive as ever._

_The Inventor chuckled and gestured for me to come closer to him. “Nora, this is Edward. Edward, Nora.”_

_I overcame my shock and grinned from ear to ear. “Well hello there!” I kneeled down to see him eye to eye._

_He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, clearly not used to human interaction yet._

_“What do we say, Edward?” said the Inventor._

_Edward’s hands continued twitching as he tried to remember. His gaze traveled around the floor as if it had the answers._

_I answered for him. “We say nice to meet you.”  
_

_Edward finally looked at me, and his body language relaxed a bit. “...n...n…”_

_I remained patient and mouthed out every word to help him sound it out._

_“Niiiice-” I started._

_“N...nice...t-to.. meeeet.. you.”_

_I didn’t need to see the Inventor to know he probably had an excited sparkle in his eye._

_“Very good!” I said. “It’s nice to meet you too, Edward.”_

* * *

  
  


I never knew the Inventor died, nor did I know that he thought about me enough to put me in his will. But I suppose that’s what the lonely resort to. 

I knew little about him, I just made sure the place was clean and every machine functioning properly, and in my last year working for him, I helped look after Edward. 

I didn’t expect to be in his dying wishes considering that my ex husband forced me to quit. 

In his will, everything went to me. Every acre of property on that deserted house. I had no clue what to do with any of it, and I’m sure he knew that before he passed. 

The will came to me months late, so there would probably be a lot of maintenance that comes with the property. I could sell it, but what kind of person would that make me?

I drove down to the neighborhood, where the property loomed over the colorful neighborhood like a dark cloud. 

This time, a group of kids were in front of the house with distressed looks on their faces. The moment they saw my car, they ambushed me. 

I slammed on the breaks so I didn’t run anyone over. “Hey! What are you kids doing?” 

One of the kids, a little girl, spoke up. “I dropped my ball over there.” She pointed to beyond the gate. 

“Well why are you just standing here…?” I tried to sound as sweet as possible but it made no sense to me. 

“It’s haunted!!” 

“Oh now why would you say that?”

“I saw a monster up there!” She pointed to the house at the very end of the trail. 

I simply went along with it. Nothing can stifle a child’s imagination. “Well alright, I’ll get it for you, love.”

I stepped over the fallen section of the gate and followed the trail of cracked, uneven concrete in my high heels. I was surprised at the beautiful scenery and the amazing garden work. Bushes two times my height were trimmed into figures like a hippo, birds, and a giant hand, which was closest to the actual house. 

I found the ball lodged in between one of the bushes, and threw it out the gate. 

“Thank you, ma’am!” I heard the girl exclaim. 

“You’re welcome,” I replied, peering over the gate to see her. “now go play somewhere else, you hear?” 

“Okay..” and with that, the girl and her cohorts scattered away. 

I took the chance to study the scenery. Every shrub looked freshly clipped as if someone was here yesterday. I guess the Inventor managed to find someone else after all, and they could trim bushes better than I ever could. 

I let myself into the mansion for old time sake, and everything seemed just how I left it, except dustier. 

It broke my heart to see how things failed to carry on without me. 

Out the corner of my eye, I could see a shadow peeking from the stairs. 

“...hello?” I called, moving towards the silhouette. “Anyone here?” 

I heard footsteps grow increasingly louder as the figure went down the steps towards me. 

Edward emerged from the staircase. I could hardly recognize him at first; his hair was all disheveled and matted, and scars plagued his face. 

“Edward??” My voice nearly broke. “ _My_ Edward?” 

He said nothing, he just stared at me as if I was a ghost. 

I hoped the Inventor had a plan for Edward before he passed, but apparently he didn’t. 

I held my arms out to him. “Come here, baby.”

He obeyed, and once he got close enough, I pulled him close to me in a tight hug. 

He still remained stiff and silent. 

“Do you remember me?” I asked, pulling away and holding his face. “I know it’s been a while, and I haven’t seen you since-”

“I remember,” he replied, his sad eyes filled with a sparkle of hope. “You came back.”

“Of course, I couldn’t leave my sweet boy,” my hand traveled to his hair, and it broke my heart to feel it so coarse and rough. It used to be the softest head of hair I had ever seen. “What happened to you? Why are you here all by yourself?” 

“... he didn’t wake up.” 

His words damn near crushed my soul. I could imagine how scared and confused he was to witness something like that. 

“Oh, my baby...I’m so sorry,” I whispered, pulling him back into a hug. This time I felt his chin rest on my shoulder. 

“Please don’t go away anymore.” 

“I promise I won’t do that anymore, okay?” I broke away from the hug again to look into his eyes. 

“...Okay.”

“You’re gonna come home with me this time.” 

And then he gave me that precious smile I missed so much. 

Everything in that house went to me: the property and all of the assets, including Edward. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a lot longer than chapter 1, just a fair warning xx

_“Why can’t I take him outside?” I asked the Inventor. “He’s curious about it. You see the way he looks out the window.”_

_“Not yet. It’s too dangerous.”_

_“It’s the suburbs. It can’t be too bad.”_

_“And what of his hands?” The Inventor raised his eyebrows._

_“Just because he’s a little different doesn’t mean anyone would want to hurt him. Please, sir.”_

_The Inventor shook his head with a grave expression._

_“You know the other day,” I continued. “When I was going to run errands he wanted to come with me. He needs outside exposure.”_

_“You don’t know those people like I do. One thing they fear the most is someone who is different from them. I don’t want him around those people.”_

_I was about to protest, but I heard Edward’s awkward steps down the stairs._

_“Go back to sleep, love,” I said. “It’s late.”_

_He was still learning to vocalize, so he tried to stutter out an answer._

_“Can't sleep?” I guessed._

_He nodded in response._

_“I think he could use another story, don’t you?” I said to the Inventor._

_I already read to Edward when I tucked him in, so now it was his turn._

_“Why, of course!” He hobbled up the stairs to join Edward and take him by the arm._

_Edward didn’t budge, though. He stood there and continued to stare at me. I knew exactly what he was thinking._

_“I’m sorry but I can’t stay,” I said to him. “It’s late. I have to go home and sleep, too.”_

_He turned to the inventor with the same expression._

_“She’ll be back tomorrow, Edward,” he said, placing a hand on the young man’s shoulder. “She always comes back.”_

_“That’s right. And I’ll owe you two more stories next time, how does that sound?”_

_He didn’t know how to smile yet, so he just nodded eagerly._

_He went down the stairs to me to say goodbye._

_I held him close and planted a few kisses on his cheek. He didn’t know how to give kisses yet, so he bumped his face on the side of my cheek in return._

_Even though it hurt a little, I just laughed it off and pulled him into a hug._

_“Good night, sweetheart.”_

* * *

  
  


He was nervous out of his mind at first, but as soon as I started driving around the neighborhood, he loosened up. He looked from window to window in awe at everything that was going on. The sun touched his pale skin, showing all those years of living in the shadows. I should have taken him outside a long time ago. 

To my relief, the kids were gone and most of them were occupied in their own yards. If they saw Edward, they would throw a fit and make all sorts of crazy theories about the abandoned house. Parents would blame me for the nightmares their kids would have for days. 

A water slide caught Edward’s attention, and he gasped and reached across me to point at it.

I only gasped and dodged his hand. Edward finally realized what happened and instantly retreated. 

“I-I’m sorry…” he said with an embarrassed smile. 

“No, it’s okay! I want you to be excited.”

And with that, Edward continued to look out the window at all the neighbors passing by. 

“What’s that?” This time Edward was pointing to something on his side of the car. 

I glanced over to see what he was talking about. “that’s a lawnmower, love.”

I was caught by surprise again when I heard a loud thumping noise and realized Edward bumped his head against the window trying to look out. 

He himself was surprised by it as well. 

“Oh.. are you okay?” I asked gently, reaching over and touching his shoulder. He looked at me with the same embarrassed smile. “You’re okay.” I said with a chuckle. 

When I finally pulled up to the driveway I reached over to help Edward out.

I tried to get him inside, but he was too busy beelining all over the place. “Edward-!” I chased after him, and eventually caught his attention. “No, no, over here, sweetheart.” I was interrupted by the familiar barking of the neighborhood stray dog with shaggy hair that covered his eyes. Edward was alarmed at the sudden noise and wasted no time to hide behind me. 

“Oh don’t be afraid, he comes around all the time.” 

The dog tried to jump on Edward, but he backed away. 

“He’s harmless, I promise,” I assured him, leading him inside so he’d feel more comfortable. 

Once he got a good glimpse inside my house, he stared at it in awe, snipping his fingers excitedly. 

“I’m sorry it’s such a mess…” I said, taking Edward’s wrist and leading him down the hall. The whole way, he looked as if he was at Disney World. 

“This is the first time you’ve seen my house in person, right?” 

Edward gave me an enthusiastic nod. 

“Well you fit right in,” I stroked his cheek and let my hand slide to his chin, making him all shy.

I smiled before continuing. “Okay so…” I led Edward to my room and let go of his arm to look through my closet. “I don’t think I have anything that fits you… oh yes I do!” Towards the back of the closet were some of my ex husband’s clothes. 

I brought out a white button down tee, suspenders, and some slacks.“Here you go.” I dropped the clothes into his arms. “You can get dressed in that bathroom right over there.” I pointed him to it. “I just need to check on something, but I’ll be right over if you need help, okay?” 

“Okay.”

I expected that he'd probably need help, but I just wanted to let him try first. 

I decided to kill some time by checking my messages. 

I was surprised to find several messages from people in the neighborhood. They almost filled up my entire tape. How did they even get my number?

I listened to the first three, all of them asking about the stranger in my car. 

I sucked my teeth bitterly. Those nosy neighbors. I deleted all my messages before venturing to the bathroom to see how Edward was doing. 

I knocked on the side of the door before entering just to be polite, “how are you doing in there?”

“Help, please…”

I walked in to find him struggling to even pick the pants up without cutting it. 

“Here, honey....” I grabbed his arm to stop him. 

I figured the leather suit was another thing to conquer at a later time, so I figured the clothes could go over the suit. I helped him into his slacks first. The whole time Edward was occupied with staring at his reflection in the mirror. The poor boy had the attention span of a goldfish. 

As I zipped up his pants, Edward used one of his blades to tap the mirror, expecting it to do something. When nothing happened, he touched his own face, and winced when he realized he cut himself. 

I stopped in my tracks, scolding myself for not stopping him. 

Edward turned to me with a terrified expression to the point where his eyes were wide and unblinking, and he began to tremble. There was a red line on his pale cheek where he nicked himself. 

“Oh poor baby...” I cooed and quickly fumbled for a tissue to wipe up the blood. I felt that if I waited a second longer to respond, he might’ve fainted or something.

I returned to his side and gently dabbed at the cut. I felt worse feeling him shake.  
“There we go. It’s just a little scratch, see? Don’t be afraid.” 

Edward was hesitant to look at himself in the mirror again, but he finally got himself to and he realized the blood was gone. 

“See? All better,” I gave him a reassuring smile and waited for Edward to stop shaking before I helped him with his shirt. 

After I buttoned him up and put on his suspenders, Edward thanked me in his quiet little voice. 

“No problem, sweetheart!”

I couldn’t help but wonder how he survived so long by himself without the Inventor. The scars on his face answered my question. 

I waved it out of my mind and fixed his collar. “Are you hungry, Edward?” 

He hesitated before nodding. 

“Alright,” I led him down the hall by his wrist. “I think I have some leftover pasta. Do you like pasta?” 

“What’s that?” 

“...good enough answer for me.” 

I sat him down at the kitchen table.

The doorbell rang around the same time, which made Edward jump in his seat.

“It’s alright, it’s just the doorbell. it means a visitor is here.” I rubbed his shoulder and went to answer the door. To my relief, it was only Peg. 

“Hey Peg…” I quickly stepped outside with her and closed the door behind us. I noticed that there was a chocolate cake in her hands; my favorite. “Oh wow!! Thank you!!” 

“I was just passing by, I tried this new recipe in a magazine and-” Peg paused and noticed my expression. “You look all worn out. Oh dear why are you so antsy…?”

“Nevermind that. Can you come back another time? he gets frightened very easily.”

“What are you going on about, dear?” 

“I have.. _company…_ ”

“The man the neighbors are talking about?” Peg reached past me and opened the door. “I thought it was just a rumor…” 

The moment she saw Edward, she couldn’t help but shriek, almost dropping the cake. 

Edward shot up from his seat, knocking down the chair in the process before scrambling out the kitchen. 

Peg instantly regretted her reaction. “Oh I’m sorry it just caught me by surprise-”

“It’s quite alright,” I said. “Wanna get seated? I’m heating up some pasta and we can all introduce ourselves.”

Peg nodded with an apologetic look in her face. She picked up the fallen chair and took a seat. 

I went after Edward and followed his tracks to the living room. “Edward?” I called out. “she didn’t mean it. It’s okay, I promise.” I studied the room and spotted Edward cowering in the corner next to my recliner. 

I kneeled down to him. “Oh no, sweetheart. You don’t have to hide. She was just surprised, that’s all.”

Edward tucked his legs to his chest, remaining silent. 

“I know that scream scared you,” I said. Edward nodded as she spoke, looking at his lap. “But Peg is one of the nicest people I know, and she would love to meet you.” 

Edward took a few seconds before he made eye contact with me with his big round eyes. “Really…?”

“Yes really. And she brought cake. Now, you wanna go meet her?”

“Okay…”

I led Edward back into the kitchen, holding his wrist so he felt a little better. 

“Peg, this is Edward. I used to help care for him.”

“Oh…?” She gave me a confused look. 

I explained the entire thing as I served the pasta on three plates. I left out the death of the Inventor to spare poor Edward of any additional reminders, but Peg could put two and two together.

Poor Peg, she was trying to maintain a normal reaction the entire time, but I could see in her eyes she had numerous questions. She seemed to suppress them pretty well, though. 

The rest of the time we ate together (while Edward struggled with the utensils). Peg was nice to him the whole time, trying to carry conversation with his timid one word answers. 

I felt guilty once Peg and I moved on to the cake. I made sure to get a small slice so Edward could try some later. 

In the meantime, I gave him a water cup with a straw so he could occupy himself while Peg was around. 

I walked Peg to the door once she was ready to go, leaving Edward still attempting to pick up a fork. 

I closed the door behind me, so we could have privacy. 

“He seems very sweet, dear.” She said. “Just be careful with the hands.”

“He’s harmless…” I insisted. “...I feel so bad for leaving him by himself.” 

“But you’re here now, I think that’s all that matters.” 

“I guess so…” I replied. “Thanks for coming by, Peg. Do me a favor and try to keep quiet about this? I don’t want it to become a big thing.”

“Of course dear.” 

After hugging Peg goodbye, I went back inside, where Edward attempted to find new ways to pick up the fork. 

“Edward, here let me…” I took the fork and scooped some pasta in it. 

Edward allowed me to feed him, and I took breaks to let him drink some water in between. “Is it good?” I asked. 

“Mm… mhm!” He nodded enthusiastically. I have never seen someone so content with cold pasta. But it was probably better than what he had going on by himself in that house. 

I moved on to the cake, giving him a big slice that made his eyes get all wide and excited. 

  
  
  


After I helped Edward finish the cake, I cleared the table and proceeded with my Sunday cleaning. 

I told Edward he could go for a walk and tour the backyard if he wanted, but he remained where he was. 

I started first with dusting the shelves, then mopping the floors, then cleaning the windows. I realized with every task I was doing, Edward was behind me, trying to mimic me, it seemed. Every room I went, he wasn’t far behind, and he would copy my body language and pretend to do chores too. 

As I started on wiping down the windows, I could see Edward’s eyes boring into me from the reflection. 

I finally decided to say something when I could hear Edward attempting to pick up the spray bottle, but to no success. After it dropped to the floor, I spoke. “Do you need anything?” 

Edward stepped away from the fallen spray bottle. “No…” 

“Edward, sweetie…” I continued. “if you’re bored I can put on the TV if you’d like?” 

He gave me a puzzled look. “What’s that?” 

I put down the cloth. “Here I’ll show you,” I went back to the living room and was about to turn on the TV, when I realized my follower wasn’t behind me. 

I went back down the hall to see Edward with a cloth rag, trying to put window cleaner on it. 

It was an awkward disaster, but I praised him anyway. “Oh, what a sweetheart. Thank you for helping me!”

Edward turned to me with a proud look on his face, but then realized the cloth was stuck on his hands. The more he tried to pry it off, the more holes he tore into it. 

I tried not to laugh. It was just too damn cute. 

“Here, let me…” I pulled the torn cloth off his hands in a matter of seconds. 

“I’m sorry…” he said. 

“No, don’t be sorry! You were trying to help.” I held his face to reassure him. “Isn’t that right?” 

He nodded sadly. 

“I know what you can do…” I paused to think and scan the house. 

Edward’s head perked up in excitement. 

“Oh! How about trimming the bushes outside?” 

They haven’t been trimmed for a while because my garden shears broke. I figured it would occupy him as I finished the house. 

He eagerly headed to the backyard. I opened the back door for him and kept it propped open in case he wanted to go back inside. 

“Great! Let me know when you’re done.” I said before returning to the house. 

I got started on the bathroom and just finished cleaning the bathtub before I heard Edward’s footsteps. 

“Everything alright?” I called.

I turned to see my scissor-handed friend with his clothes all wrinkled and leaves and twigs lodged between his blade fingers. “Done.” He said. 

“Already?” I got up and headed to the backyard. I squealed in excitement at the site. 

One of the bushes was sculpted into a dinosaur, but the other one in particular caught my eye.

“Edward, sweetheart! Is that me?” 

He nodded, happy at my reaction. 

“Oh my goodness!! That’s me!” I held his face, covering his cheeks, forehead, and nose with little kisses. 

Edward smiled and scrunched up his face. 

“...Do you like it?”

“I absolutely love it, sweetheart.” I said. “How did you learn to do that??” 

Edward snipped his blade-fingers a few times and shrugged. 

  
  


After I helped him clean his hands, I let Edward ‘help’ me out for the rest of the day. I basically gave him made up tasks to make him feel like he was useful and I would praise him for it. Mostly it was asking him to hold things or go get things for me, to the best of his ability, of course. 

At the end of the day, we were both worn out, so I decided that we would clean the garage another time. 

Edward wandered in there anyway, it was the only place in the house he hasn’t seen yet.

Edward’s attention was caught by a tall stack of books in the corner. He tried to pick one up, but to no avail. It was a thin paperback. 

“I used to read these to my nephews…” I said. “You haven’t read any of these yet, have you?” 

The Inventor had rather old fashioned books for me to read to Edward. 

He shook his head, and attempted to lift the book once more without damaging it. 

“Here, let me…” I picked up the book for him. 

As if it was an instinct, Edward sat criss cross on the floor. 

I paused for a moment before understanding what was happening, and I joined him on the floor as well.My heart warmed, remembering how it was just like old times. 

“Where the Wild Things Are, huh…” I opened the book and flipped through the pages. 

“Yes, please...”

“Alrighty!” I positioned the book so Edward could see the pictures, but I could still read at the same time. I put on my lively, animated voice I used to read to him with. It definitely caught Edward’s attention.

Although his face showed no expression, he was leaned forward, his eyes lighting up at all the colors on the page. I always waited for him to study the picture before he nodded that he was ready for the next page.

When I finally finished the book, Edward was already reaching for another one. I couldn’t tell him no, especially after all the new things he took on that day. He deserved to enjoy himself. 

The Inventor used to limit Edward to two stories a night or else he would just keep asking to read another one and another one until it was damn near midnight. 

I read about four more books to him until my voice got all scratchy. By then, it was nearly sunset. 

“... and they lived happily ever after. The end.”

“The end.” He repeated. 

“That’s right.” I put the books away. “Okay, let’s get you cleaned up.” 

Edward nodded, even though I could tell he wanted one more story. But my fading voice wouldn’t allow it. 

I led him to the bathroom and gave him some towels. Edward attempted to take off the trousers himself, but to no avail. 

I Went to his aid and undressed him. I then tried to get started on his leather suit, going through each strap and button to free him. I was never in charge of bathing, so never knew how complicated the suit was. 

When I finally got the suit off, revealing his pale skin. He trembled, clearly not used to having so much of his body exposed. I hastily filled the bathtub up with warm water and soap bubbles. 

He sat there, shivering and staring at the bath until I instructed him to get in. “Oh, and make sure to keep your hands out of the water. I don’t want you to rust.” 

Edward obeyed, sitting in the tub with his hands resting on the rim of the tub. 

I went to work, wetting a rag and washing him off. He tensed, as I expected. He probably hadn’t had a bath in a while. I worked from his neck down, lifting his arms to scrub up to his wrists before continuing along his body. I even cleaned in the _awkward_ parts. He nearly jumped out the tub when she went down there, and I had to shush him and hold his face to calm him down. 

“I’m sorry, baby, I’m sorry...look, it’s over… gimme your leg.” He obeyed and I scrubbed the dirt off his legs and feet. 

Afterwards, I studied his hair to see what can be done about it. It was so tangled and matted that I could barely run my fingers through it. 

To save some hassle, I simply shampooed and conditioned his head so his hair could at least smell good and feel soft. 

Edward enjoyed this part, closing his eyes and leaning back as I lathered the products on his scalp. 

“You like the smell? It’s strawberry,” I said. 

“Mhm.” 

I used the shower head to rinse the suds out and after I was finished, I drained the tub. 

“Stand up, sweetie.”

He obeyed, and I towel dried his hair until water wasn’t dripping in his face anymore. I used the same towel to wrap around his body afterwards. I sat him back on the toilet and got some cleaning wipes from the bathroom cabinet. 

“Okay, now your hands last.” I reached for one of his fingers, but Edward pulled away. His eyes were wide and filled with fear. 

“You can’t hurt me, I promise,” I assured him. “I’ll be super careful.” 

Hesitantly, he allowed me to wipe his hands down. He relaxed more once I finished without anything bad happening. 

I put the cleaning wipes away and grabbed a spare toothbrush and put some toothpaste on the bristles. 

“What’s that for?” He asked with wide curious eyes. 

“For your teeth.” I answered. “Now, say ah.” 

Edward obeyed and opened his mouth. “Ah.” 

I started brushing his teeth and his tongue until I could smell minty freshness. “Okay now go to the sink and—” I paused and grabbed Edward’s shoulder. “No baby, you’re not supposed to swallow toothpaste.” 

I was too late. Edward frowned and gave her a guilty look. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright,” I assured him, wiping his mouth of remnant toothpaste. “Just don’t do it again next time. It’s not good for you.” 

He nodded as a response. 

Lastly, I dressed him up in a bathrobe to substitute pajamas; I didn’t have anything that fit him. “All done.” I said. “Tired?” 

“Yes.” 

I could tell that the eventful day started to take its toll, and he became slower and less attentive. I walked him to the guest room and pulled back the covers for him. 

Edward still stood there, looking at the floor and dazing off. 

“C’mon sweetheart.” I got his attention and coaxed him into bed. Once he was relaxed, I pulled the blankets to his chest, so his hands were out. “Comfortable?” 

Edward nodded. 

“Okay good.” I touched his cheek gently. “I know a lot of new things happened today, but I’m so happy I have you back.” 

“Really?” 

“Of course, where would I be without my special boy,” I stroked his cheek. Edward gave me a sleepy smile and leaned into my touch. He looked at me with sparkling eyes just like he used to.

“Goodnight,” I gave his cheek one last rub of her thumb before pulling away. 

“G’night,” he said back in his small little voice. 

I crept out the room and left the door open a crack behind me. 

When I finally got ready for bed, I was interrupted by a silhouette standing at my door. 

“Edward? Everything okay?” I couldn’t mask the grogginess in my voice. 

He flicked his scissors and focused on his feet. He was silent for a bit, but finally gathered the courage to speak.

“I have to pee…” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t help but whump him at the end reeee

_“I got something for you,” I said, reaching into my bag._

_Edward sat on his bed, his hand snipping in anticipation._

_I retrieved a stack of Polaroids and sat down next to him. “I can’t take you to my house, so I brought it to you.”_ _I said, and I pat my lap._

_He laid his head on my lap and stared up at each picture with wonder._

_“This is the outside of my house, it’s wayyyy smaller than this place but it’s home.”_

_He studied the little house, the corners of his lips attempting to twitch into a smile._

_“There’s the garage, living room, kitchen,” I made sure to go through them slowly so Edward could fully take in each picture. “Bathroom, laundry room, and here’s the bedroom. This is where I sleep.”_

_He seemed mesmerized by the master bedroom most of all. His eyes never left the queen size bed with an abundance of pillows._

_“You wanna put them on your picture wall?” I gestured to the bulletin board where the Inventor pinned cut-out magazine articles and pictures._

_Edward nodded._

_“Use your words,” I reminded him. The Inventor was working on getting Edward to be more comfortable speaking._

_“...y-yes.”_

_I lifted every push pin and inserted one of my Polaroids under it. Once I finished, Edward lifted his head from my lap to look at the final product. He attempted to smile again, but to no avail._

_“Now even when I go home, you know I’m with you.”  
  
_

* * *

That morning, I let Edward sleep in as long as possible. I was up early, making waffles to surprise him when he awakes.

From the window, I could see all the cars gone in the driveway. The husbands were gone, this meant the housewives were on the prowl. 

As if someone read my mind, the doorbell rang. 

I kneeled down on the ground, praying they’d think I was still asleep, but loud knocks ensued. 

“Nora! You can’t hide from us, silly. we saw you in the window!” 

I cringed at Joyce’s voice. 

Reluctantly, I rose to my feet and answered the door to not only Joyce, but her clan of gossiping housewives. 

“Can I help you?”

“Have you not checked your phone? We’ve been trying to contact you.” She said with a cackle. “All cooped up in there keeping your little friend to yourself.” 

“Peg said he had scissors for hands!” Chirped one of the women. 

I couldn’t get upset about it; they probably pried the shit out of that poor woman. 

“And what about it?” I replied defensively. I tried to keep as tame as possible; making enemies with one of the neighbors means making enemies with all. 

“Aren’t you gonna introduce him to your _friends_?” said Joyce. 

“I’ve been busy...”

“That’s what I thought. Now when did you say the barbecue was?”

“...the what?” 

“About five?” Pried Joyce, her cohorts babbling along in the background. 

“My house isn’t big enough for—”

“How about at Peg’s? We’ll see you there?” 

There was no use in saying no. Or even saying anything. 

Joyce clapped her hands together with satisfaction. “Great! Five o’clock don’t be late!”

“We’ll bring a man for ya!” Added another woman. 

“Make sure he isn’t married, Helen.” Said another. 

“Yes, okay, bye now!” I said, forcing a smile and closing the door on them. “ _Shit”_

After I called Peg informing her of the forced event, I woke Edward up and got him ready. I gave him the general explanation about the situation, leaving out what snakes the neighbors could be. I just told them how excited they are to meet him and what not. 

“They are…?” He questioned as I buttoned up his shirt. He looked rather nervous. 

“Yes, you’ll think of them to be very nice.” I never said that they _were_ nice; I can’t lie to the boy. “Just be the sweetheart you are and they will adore you.” 

“Okay…” he still looked unsure. 

“I’ll be right there with you, so there is no need to be scared.” 

Edward’s spirits lifted up a little bit. “Promise?”

“I promise, sweetie.” I changed the subject immediately. I didn’t want to get nervous about the party myself, considering I don’t go out as much either. “You hungry? I made waffles.” 

“Yes please.” 

I spent my final hours of peace over at Peg’s house. Edward seemed to get along with Bill and Kevin. I was disappointed that Kim was still on her camping trip, though. I knew that she would’ve liked him. 

Edward seemed entranced by the photos of Kim on the wall when he first entered the house. 

I tried to mask my smile to prevent myself from embarrassing him, but I found his crush on Kim to be so adorable.

It took Kevin’s energy to pry Edward away from gawking at Kim’s pictures. Once his attention was finally on Kevin, he bombarded Edward with a surge of questions. 

“Those blades are so cool! How long have you had em? How do they work? Can you feel anything in em?”

“Kevin,” warned Peg. 

“Have you ever killed a guy?” 

“Kevin!” shouted Peg. “He just got here. He doesn’t want to answer about any of this nonsense, poor thing. Go be a nice host and show him the backyard.”

Kevin looked up at Edward. “Wanna play scissors paper stone?”

“Play scissors what?” Asked Edward. He looked over at me for guidance. 

“It’s okay, go on outside.” I insisted. “I’ll be right here if you need anything, okay?” 

Edward nodded and followed Kevin to the backyard. 

“You’re so good with him,” said Peg. “I can't shake it out of my mind, you said he lived up there all by himself?”

“I bet the view was great,” joked Bill. 

I just smiled politely. “Yeah, I bet.” 

“Has he thought about where he wants to stay?” he asked. 

“Uh well…” I paused to check outside, where Edward was snipping at the bushes with Kevin watching. “I thought he’d be better off staying with me from now on.” 

“How kind of you, dear!” Exclaimed Peg.

“With his Dad gone and all, I don’t think it would be a good idea for him to be by himself.” 

“I guess you have the time with no husband or kids and all.” Said Bill bluntly. He didn’t intend to be mean, but the words stung nonetheless. “But I know with two kids, I’ve lost all hope. I already lost my hair at one. At two I’m damn near losing my mind. Hope you enjoyed your freedom while you had it.” He joked. 

I laughed in return. “I know Edward. He isn’t a burden at all. he’s a big responsibility, but he’s a really sweet boy.” 

“Yeah he seems like a real mellow character,” replied Bill. He paused to look outside. “Holy shit, Peg, look!” 

Outside, Edward sculpted a giant t-rex. He looked back at the window and waved over to me, smiling proudly at what he did. 

I waved back with a grin. “You should see my yard. He did the most beautiful work yesterday.”

“He could make a killing off of it.” Said Bill. 

And for once, I agreed with what he said. 

Peg ignored the both of them and went outside. “Oh Edward!! It’s amazing!” She exclaimed. 

I was glad that Edward was in such welcoming company before the party, and I prayed everything would turn out okay. 

For the next few hours, Peg spoiled Edward, giving him whatever he wanted and even let him help out in the kitchen. 

Kevin was occupied with his friend over. Bill and I lounged in the basement, indulging in drinks before the rush of neighbors headed over. 

Although it was never spoken, we both mutually agreed that in order to handle the neighbors, the only resolution was getting tipsy. 

Bill and I were interrupted by footsteps.

“Nora?” Peeped Edward. “There’s a lot of people...” his fingers _snipped_ nervously. 

“already? I’ll be right there, just give me a second…” I said, before downing her last cup. Bill did the same. 

Edward waited on me, still jittery. “What’s that?”

“Lemonade.” Blurted Bill. 

“Can I have some?” 

Bill was about to pour Edward a glass, but I snatched the bottle and shot the man a glaring look before getting up.

“No, baby, there’s better drinks upstairs.” I joined Edward’s side and held his wrist. I felt a pang of guilt for leaving him by himself. “You ready? Or you wanna use the bathroom first, just in case?”

“Yeah...”

“Okay, let’s go.”

  
  


At first, Edward never left my side, and I often had to answer neighbors’ questions for him as he hid behind me. But eventually, he got comfortable enough to drift off and start conversation with other people. 

Wandering around by myself made me realize that I was more anxious than Edward was. 

A couple of the housewives bombarded me, listing all of the single men that were present. All of whom were more than a decade older than me. 

“How about that man over there?”

“He’s married!”

“So?”

“This party isn’t about me, this is about Edward.” I insisted. 

Edward heard his name and came over to join my side. 

“Hi sweetheart, are you having fun?” 

He nodded. “Everyone’s very nice.”

“That’s great!” I exclaimed. I paused and spotted food on the corner of Edward’s lips. 

I sighed; it was from Joyce and the others bribing Edward with their ambrosia in exchange for garden work. I licked my finger and wiped the remnants off Edward’s face. “Did you meet these people yet?” I gestured to the women. I tried to avoid the fact that I forgot their names. 

“Hi,” said Edward shyly. 

The women damn near knocked me over as they surrounded Edward, blurting their requests for how they wanted their backyard. 

Thankfully, the sun was going down and people were slowly trickling out. I took this opportunity to take Edward home as well. 

When we got home, I changed his clothes, washed him off, and finally helped him into bed. 

“I’m glad you had fun today,” I said. “Look at you, you made so many friends already.”

Edward blushed. “I like it here… a lot.” 

“Oh, honey that’s great!” I gave him a peck on the forehead. The corners of his lips lifted in a soft smile. 

“Can we have another party?”

 _Hell no._ “...Another time.” I fixed one of Edward’s pillows so he could lay more comfortable, considering that he had to lay on his back all night. “Now get some sleep, I have to work tonight but I’ll be back when you wake up, okay?” 

“Okay…” 

“Goodnight,” I gave him another kiss on the forehead, conjuring a wider smile from him, before getting up and shutting off the light.

“Nora…?”

I stopped in my tracks. “Yea?”

“Do you have time for a story?”

I still had to get dressed and change my makeup, but Edward asked so sweetly, I couldn’t turn him down. I turned the light back on and checked my watch. 

Edward stared at me with round pleading eyes. 

“Alright,” I said. “I have time for just one.”

  
  
  


I got back home as quietly as I could, careful not to wake Edward up. 

I unlocked the door and tip toed in, but unfortunately, I tripped in the dark. 

“Fuck!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. 

Surprisingly, Edward didn’t emerge from the room. Before I left, I kept the door open a crack in case he needed anything, and yet the door remained as I left it. 

I picked myself up from the ground and, just to be safe, I checked in his room to see how he was doing. 

He wasn’t asleep, he was sitting up and staring at his lap with his wild hair going in all directions. 

“Edward…? What’s wrong?” I switched the light on. 

I gasped; there was a giant cut on his cheek that was glistening with crimson blood. He cut deep this time. 

“Oh my…” I tried to react calmly without getting squeamish.

In the light I could see him trembling and refusing to look at me, so I went over to him and kneeled down instead. “Did it happen in your sleep?” I asked in a tender tone, careful not to scare him. I rubbed his knee to comfort him. “Did you have a bad dream? Hm?”

Edward was unresponsive, still shaking like a leaf. Blood started to drip from the wound. 

“Come here, baby,” I rose and made him stand with me. “C’mon.” 

I wrapped my arm around Edward's shoulders and walked him to the bathroom. I sat him on the ledge of the bathtub instead of the toilet so he couldn’t see himself in the mirror. 

I started off dabbing the blood away with a tissue. Meanwhile, Edward’s shaking diminished after a few minutes until he was finally still. His eyes were still glued to the floor. 

Once I stopped the bleeding, I got a new tissue and applied some hydrogen peroxide to it. “Almost done,” I murmured, and began cleaning the cut. 

A small whimper ejected from Edward’s throat. Tears spilled from his glossy eyes. 

“Oh, I know, I know,” I cooed. “Shhh.” I tried to finish as quickly as possible and remain gentle at the same time. “It stings a little, but it gets you clean.”

Edward started trembling once more, his face tensed in pain. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” I finished and discarded the tissues before Edward could see the blood. “There we go” I then retrieved a band aid and secured it on his cheek. 

Edward’s eyes finally travelled back to me. “it still hurts...” 

“You gotta give it time to heal.” I gave the bandaid a light kiss to make him feel better. 

Edward closed his eyes and leaned into me, his head landing on my chest. 

“Oh-” I was caught off guard at first, but then I secured my arms around him, cautious of his hands. “You’re okay, I’m here.” I used one hand to rub the back of his head, and the other to draw circles on his back. I swayed back and forth until Edward’s shaking stopped. 

I waited a few moments before talking again. “You wanna go back to bed?” 

“No...” he mumbled into my shirt. He sounded apologetic for it. 

“Well that’s alright, I’m not tired either,” it was the truth, although I yearned for a shower. But it could wait, Edward needed me. 

I started rocking him back and forth once more. “You hungry? You want anything to eat?”

He shook his head against me. It made sense, since he was damn near fed every dish at the barbecue. “You just wanna stay with me, huh?” 

“Yes….” 

“Hmm… how about we watch a movie. You wanna try that?” 

Edward didn’t answer. What else did I expect? The boy didn’t know what movies were.

“Yeah,” I answered for both of us. “Let’s go watch a movie.” 

Edward didn’t resist when I stood up, taking him with me. 

I walked him to the living room and pulled out the couch so there was room for the both of us. I grabbed the tv remote and sat Edward down next to me. 

Within moments, he leaned over to return his head to my chest. He looked down at the floor the whole time, embarrassed for his need for human touch. 

I didn’t think much of it. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and layed down on my back so he was more comfortable. I instructed him to fold his fingers together so he can’t cut me or himself.

Once he was settled, I mindlessly massaged his scalp.

I flipped through tv channels looking for a movie. I eventually settled on The Jungle Book. 

I craned my neck to look down at him, and his eyes were wide and glued to the tv as if it was an alien.

“It used to be my favorite when I was younger,” I said. 

Edward seemed to enjoy the movie more with my enthusiasm. He would look up at me and smile whenever I would mimic every line I remembered, or sing along to the Bear Necessities. 

I eventually settled down and rested my chin on the top of his head. I rubbed his back until I felt him getting heavy against me and heard his light snores. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk where I’m going with any of this but I hope you guys enjoy ~


	4. Chapter 4

_“Such beautiful hair,” I said, running a brush through Edward’s raven colored mane._

_While I sat on his bed, he sat between my legs with his head resting on my thigh. His hair was so soft that it felt like I was running my fingers through pure silk._

_I hummed to myself as I got the tangles out of his hair, not like there were many, though. He liked it when I brushed his hair because I could get any tangle out without him feeling a thing._

_Once I finished, I nudged Edward’s shoulder to let him know he was free. He raised his head and looked up at me with his round eyes, but he didn’t budge._

_“What? I’m done, love,” I said. “You want me to keep going?”_

_He nodded in response._

_“Alright,” I continued to brush his hair lightly. He returned his head to my lap and closed his eyes._

* * *

I weaved in and out of sleep all night trying to make sure Edward slept.

It was such a pleasure to have Edward around again, but he requires so much work, especially since he’s in a new environment. Between caring for him and working night shifts, I barely had a chance for a break. 

I stirred some time early in the morning, and Edward told me Peg was outside and she wanted him to do some more yard work for her. I remember groggily agreeing that he could go, and then falling back asleep. 

When I finally awoke on my own, Edward was nowhere to be found, not in the house or in the yard. I thought he’d be back by now. 

I walked around the neighborhood to look for him, despite my head still feeling drowsy. 

As I walked down the street, every yard had a shrub sculpture, and then I noticed women walking around with freshly cut hair, walking dogs who were just groomed. 

I followed them from where they seemed to be leaving, which was Peg’s house. When I got there, there was a long line that went as far as the next two houses. 

I skipped the line, despite angry protests, and made my way to the yard. 

Peg was managing the people waiting, and when she saw me she grabbed my arm and smiled. “Look at everyone all lined up! Isn’t it wonderful?” I noticed she had a haircut too. 

I turned to see Edward snipping away at a lady’s hair, finishing an extravagant updo. When he finished, he instantly directed his attention at me. 

“My Edward! You did all this?” 

“Yes,” his hands twitched with excitement. “Do you like it?” 

“I’m speechless, I love it!” 

“...do you wanna go next?” 

I looked at the remaining line of impatient women. “I- I don’t know, I don’t wanna hold anyone up-”

“They’ve been waiting for this long,” interrupted Peg. “They’ll live.”

“They’ll live,” repeated Edward. 

I hesitated, but his excited look in his eyes made me agree to stay. 

Edward held out his hand to me and I rested my hand on his palm. He led me to the chair and sat me down. I was too busy being so proud of him to acknowledge the shouts of protest about me cutting the line. 

Edward ignored it too, and he started working on my hair. 

It was as if he read my mind: nothing too flashy, but still had some spunk to it. He gave me a cut where half of my hair was longer than the other, similar to Peg’s hairstyle. 

Edward, just like the sweetheart he is, got me a different chair to wait in as he finished tending to the rest of the women. 

  
  
  


Afterwards, I decided to take him downtown to reward him for all the hard work he did. 

Plus I needed an excuse to take him shopping for new clothes since his only shirt had numerous tears in it.

As I held his arm and guided him through the walkway, Edward stared in awe at each store we passed. I was thankful that the stores caught his attention, because every person we passed glared at Edward’s hands with their petrified orbs. 

I was going to lead him to the department store first, but Edward stopped walking once he spotted the candy store. 

He almost put his nose to the window as the different colors and candy options beckoned to him. He gave in to the call and went into the store. 

I followed him, still holding onto his arm so the cashier would know that he was with me. 

“You can get whatever you want, baby,” I said. 

“Really?” His face lit up. 

“Mhm, anything.” 

“Um…” he studied what was displayed, his hands occasionally making their familiar _snick_. 

I studied the cashier, who was as pale as Edward and sweating up a storm. All his attention was directed at Edward’s hands. 

“...the chocolate turtles, and the jellybeans, and the rock candy, and the gummy worms…” said Edward. He always had eyes bigger than his stomach. 

The cashier didn’t budge for a while. 

“You heard him,” I snapped. 

He returned from his trance and rushed to fill up a bag with all of Edward’s requested items. “W-will that be all?” 

I turned to Edward, “do you want anything else, love?” 

“No thank you…” 

“Then I guess that’s it.” 

After I paid, me and Edward sat at one of the tables so he could eat. 

I fed him all the candy he wanted, but I had to remind him several times to slow down. The boy had such a sweet tooth, he was eating faster than I could feed him. 

“‘M done,” he finally said, but still with a mouth full of gummy worms. 

I noticed there was still a bag of chocolate turtles left. “You’re full?” I wanted him to admit he had at least an ounce of self-restraint. 

“No,” he replied. “Those are for you…” 

I grinned and ruffled his hair. “Aren’t you the sweetest boy there is?” 

Edward gave me a bashful smile but it soon vanished upon him realizing the cashier still had his eyes on us. He shrunk in his seat. 

I glared at the cashier before leaving and dragging Edward with me.

“Why did he look at me like that?” he asked, sounding more hurt than embarrassed. 

“Pay him no mind,” I said. “Some people are just rude.” 

While he was all sugared up, I took him to the nearest department store to get him some new clothes. 

This place had a lot more people than the candy shop, and a lot more eyes staring at us. 

Edward stopped at the doorway and tried to turn around, but I had to practically force him inside. “Just look ahead, it’s okay,” I murmured so only he could hear. But that didn’t stop him from looking around at all the people staring him down. 

I took him to the back of the store where the clearance rack was, and where there was the least amount of people. 

Edward hid behind me with his shoulders hunched. 

I retrieved shirts that were the same size as the ones he wore and I held them to his chest to see if they fit. 

I knew employees would go crazy if I had him try on the shirt and fit his hands through the sleeves. 

“You like this one?” I asked. 

Edward shrugged, still upset from everyone’s unwanted attention. 

I sighed. “Baby, the sooner you help me out, the sooner we can leave.”

“My head hurts,” he said, his voice shaky. 

“Where does it hurt?”

“Everywhere…” 

It couldn’t have been from anything else but anxiety. 

I took him to a dressing room and closed the door behind us so we were alone. He seemed to relax the moment he was away from all the people. 

“Okay now,” I said, holding the shirt to his chest again. “Yes or no, love?” 

“No…” 

“Can you tell me why?”

“Don’t like the color.” He pointed at the light green. 

“That’s fine,” I hung the shirt on the door. “What colors do you like?” 

“... black, please…” 

I let Edward wait in the dressing room as I retrieved every black shirt I could find. He favored the button down shirts with sleeves, similar to the shirt he had on. 

I convinced him to get at least one lighter shirt since he’s gonna spend so much time outside in the Florida heat, so he chose a simple white shirt. 

I also chose some pants for him to wear. He seemed to like the loose fitting ones that could be held up by his suspenders. I just prayed that this boy wouldn’t burn himself out in the sun. 

Last, I had him try on some shoes. He hated this part since some pairs were tight on his feet, but I had to experiment to figure out his shoe size. Once we found the perfect pair, I took all the clothes and walked him to the register. 

Of course, the cashier among other customers in line stared at us. Edward just hid behind me to avoid everyone’s gaze. 

The moment I got the receipt, I rushed Edward out the store so he could feel a little better. 

“I’m sorry people are making you nervous, honey,” I said, holding the bag with one hand and his arm with the other. “But thank you for being brave and following through.” I planted a kiss on his cheek and it seemed to make everything all better. 

On my way to walking him to my car, a barber shop caught my eye. And Edward his hair done so so badly. 

“... can you be brave for me again and stop at one more place?” I asked. 

He didn’t answer. 

“I _promise_ this is the last place,” I insisted. “Pretty please for me?” 

“Okay…” he still sounded unsure. 

I wasted no time walking him in before he changed his mind. 

Thankfully, Edward and I were the only customers in the building. There were two barbers, a balding older man and a younger woman about my age. 

“What the fuck…” said the man, his eyes traveling from Edward’s hands to his hair. “Fuck this I’m going on break…” he went to the back room without another word. 

The woman didn’t seem phased. “Hi! How can I help you?” Her name tag read Marina and her cheery disposition was so refreshing. She didn’t even stare at his hands once. 

“Can you…?” I gestured to Edward’s hair. “... without cutting it off? He likes his hair longer.” 

“Geez, mom,” she said, studying his head. “How’d you let it get like this?” 

Edward remained still, looking like a deer caught in headlights. 

“Oh no no no! He was living somewhere else at the time,” I said hastily. 

“Just kidding,” she nudged my arm. “I can tell you care. If you didn’t, would you even take him to the barber’s at this point?” 

I gave her a sheepish smile. “You have a point.” 

She gave me another playful nudge and turned her attention to Edward. “Okay we’ll get you washed first, so you can sit over there.” 

Edward turned to me with a nervous look. 

“Mom will be right there,” Marina gestured to the chairs in the waiting area. “You can see her the whole time, okay?”

“Okay…” he went over to the washing station as directed. 

“Oh also, can you be as gentle as you can?” I asked. “He’s sensitive.” 

Marina nodded. “Of course! Sit back, relax, I got this.” 

Edward was fine during the washing, but it was the detangling that was a hassle. 

I was about to get up several times upon seeing his face contort in pain as if he was about to cry. But Marina insisted I stay seated and that she had it handled. 

She was telling the truth, she was very good with him. She gave him gum to cope with the pain since he couldn’t squeeze a stress ball or hold my hand. 

“You let me know if you need me to stop, okay?” She said. 

“...stop…” his voice quivered. 

“Okay,” she put the comb down and leaned on the chair. “You want Mom over here with you? Will that make you feel better?” 

“Yes…” 

I rushed to his side immediately and pulled a chair over so I could sit next to him. 

He gathered up the courage to continue, and for the rest of the time I held onto his arm and patted it gently until it was over. 

He needed to take a few breaks in between, and he almost chewed up all of Marina’s gum, but once she was finished I could recognize my Edward again. 

After she trimmed off all the split ends, she turned Edward’s chair to the mirror. 

“Do you like it?” 

“Yes,” he tilted his head a few times to see his chin length hair move with him. 

“Look how handsome!” I said. “Thank you so much.”

“Thank you,” echoed Edward out of pure instinct. 

“No problem!” Said Marina. “If it ever gets that way again, don’t be afraid to drop by.” 

Before we left, she gave Edward the rest of her gum for being so well behaved. 

I decided to show Peg Edward’s new look and as expected, she had enough enthusiasm for her and Edward combined. 

Once we all got settled, she fixed Edward something to eat and pulled me aside. 

“Dear, you look exhausted,” she said, her voice low and serious. 

“‘M sorry.. it’s just been a lot with getting Edward used to being here… and…”

“I can see circles under your eyes. How much sleep have you gotten?” 

“...not a lot.” 

Peg pursed her lips. “How about we let Edward stay the night here so you can get some rest?” 

“I… I don’t know…” I hesitated. “He gets very anxious…”

“He’ll be fine, dear! He knows us pretty well.”

I stifled a yawn. “...you’ll.. you’ll call me if anything happens right?” 

“You have my word.”

I went back to the dining room and explained to Edward that he’ll stay the night at Peg’s. 

“...you’ll come back right?” He looked a bit nervous. 

“Of course I will, baby,” I said. “Peg just wants to spend some time with you, and I really need a nap. I promise I’ll come back in the morning.” 

“Okay…” he still sounded unsure but I knew he’d loosen up once Peg starts spoiling him. 

“Be good,” I peppered his face with kisses until he was all embarrassed. 

I said bye to Peg, and found Bill and Kevin down the hall to greet them, then I left. 

The moment I went home and hit my bed, I passed out.

The shrill ringing of my bedside phone jerked me awake, and I clawed through the darkness to find the phone. 

“Hello?” I answered, with my eyes still shut. 

“Hi, Nora, it’s Peg…” her voice was higher than usual. Something must’ve happened. 

“...is everything okay…?”

“Um…” She was silent for a while. “Can you come get Edward?” 

I awoke immediately. “What happened?? Is he alright???”

Peg explained to me that Kim came back from her camping trip early and her overreaction to Edward scared him. 

“Oh geez… Can you put him on the phone?” 

“Oh, another thing… Bill gave him alcohol-”

“He **WHAT**?”

“-and it made him faint.” 

I shot out of bed, almost yanking the phone out the wall and taking it with me. “Don’t go anywhere, I’m on my way.”

“Oh dear, I’m so very sorry-”

“It’s fine.” Even though the words came out intense, I wasn’t mad at Peg at all. Bill was another story. 

I drove over to Peg’s and ran into the house, not even bothering to knock. 

Edward was knocked out cold on the couch. Peg was sitting near his feet and Kim was all the way near the back wall. She seemed as if she was hiding from him, predicting that he could wake up any second and chase after her. 

“Hi, Kimmie. How was the trip?” I said absently, not expecting any answer. I never took my focus off of Edward and I went to his side and felt his face. 

“He’s _yours_??” Said Kim. 

“Not now, Kim,” snapped Peg. 

I shook Edward by the shoulders. “Edward? Can you hear me?” 

He mumbled inaudibly. 

“Open your eyes,” I said. “We’re gonna have to get you up, okay?” 

“...no more lemonade,” he groaned. 

“I know, honey, I know,” I put his arm over my shoulders and pulled him up. Peg took his other side and we took him to the car. 

Peg buckled Edward in and closed the car door. “Again, I’m really really sorry, Nora,” she said. 

“It really is okay,” I was calmer since I knew Edward was okay. “He’ll be fine.” 

She hugged me goodbye and watched me get in the car and pull out the driveway. 

I drove home and managed to drag Edward out the car and into the house. 

I took him to the bathroom to pee, then I helped him in the bedroom and tucked him in. 

I pushed some hair from his face so I could see his bloodshot eyes. 

“Hurts,” he complained. 

“Your tummy?” 

He nodded. 

“Yeah that happens sometimes,” I moved some more strands of hair from his face. “I’ll go get you some water.” 

“Don’t go,” he said once I pulled my hand away. He sat up as if he were going with me. 

I laid him back down and kissed the tip of his nose. “It’ll only be a minute,” I replied. “I’ll be right down the hall and I’ll come right back.” 

“Okay…”

I went to the kitchen and filled up a cup with tap water and rushed back. The last thing I wanted was for Edward to wait for me for too long. 

When I came back, he was propped upward again, his hands twitching nervously. He looked on the brink of tears. 

“What’s the matter?” I set the cup on the nightstand and sat next to him. “I was only gone for a few seconds.” 

He didn’t respond, but I could hear him gag and see his posture tense up. 

I picked up the nearby trash can without a second’s thought and held it to his chest. 

As expected, he retched up everything he had into the bin. I rubbed circles on his back and waited for him to finish. 

“Is it all gone?” I murmured. 

“Yes…” his throat was scratchy. 

I set the bin down and put the cup of water to his lips. “Here, this’ll make you feel better.” 

Edward shook his head, he’s had enough drinks. 

“Please, just a little bit for me?” I pleaded.

He already lost a lot of fluids, him drinking at least a little bit of water would make me feel less concerned. 

He hesitated and took a few sips of water. He himself seemed surprised at how thirsty he was, and before I knew it, all the water was gone. 

“Good boy,” I said, mustering up a smile despite my worry. I put the cup back on the nightstand. 

Edward held his stomach with his arms and leaned forward until his neck was bowed. “Still hurts.” 

“Baby, you gotta wait till morning. It won’t go away automatically,” I frowned and held his shoulder. “Lean back.”

He did as he was told and laid back down. 

I laid down next to him and rubbed his tummy. After a few minutes, he stopped tensing up and rested his head completely into the pillow. 

“Feel a little better?” 

“Mhm…” his eyelids started getting heavy, but he fought it. “Can you read a story?” 

“Not tonight, sweetheart.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s late,” I whispered. I continued to rub his stomach slowly so he’d get more drowsy. “And you gotta sleep to feel better.”

“Can we watch a movie?” He mumbled, falling deeper and deeper into the trance of sleep. 

“We can watch all the movies you want tomorrow.” 

He seemed satisfied with my answer and he finally shut his eyes. 

I stopped patting his stomach, and I was preparing to get up from the bed, but it awoke him. 

“Nora?” 

“Hm?” 

“I love you.” 

“Me too,” I pressed my lips to his forehead. “Get some sleep, okay?”

He didn’t respond, he was already passed out again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this chapter 🥺 Edward getting babied >>>>>


	5. Chapter 5

_One of the downsides of helping the Inventor with Edward is that I wasn’t the remedy all the time. During the times the Inventor would feel weak or need to rest were usually the times when Edward would want his dad. I didn’t think much of it, vice versa would happen when it was my day off._

_As I was getting all the cleaning done, he would stare up the stairs longingly. I occasionally had to stop him from going up there. The last thing the Inventor wanted was for Edward to see him in such a weak state._

_“Edward, don’t you wanna stay down here with me?” I held his arm and pulled him away from the stairs once more. He sighed and took a seat in the chair I provided for him._

_I decided to take a break from work and cheer him up a little. I couldn’t stand the way he stared upstairs with his sad puppy dog eyes._

_“Do you wanna go outside for a bit?” I asked._

_The other week, the Inventor had me buy some flowers and shrubs for the yard. Edward_ _would watch from the window with curiosity as I planted them. The new addition took away some of the place’s drabbiness._

_Mentioning going outside caught Edward’s attention instantly. He rarely got the chance to venture out the house, although the Inventor was beginning to lax a little bit._

_“Yeah,” I said, leading him to the door. “let’s go outside. You wanna see the roses first? They look really pretty today.”_

_“...roses…?” He pronounced carefully._

_“That’s right, baby boy, roses,” I got my scarf from the coat rack and wrapped up his exposed neck. It was a little chilly and he wasn’t used to such weather yet._

_“Pre-tty?”_

_“Mhm. Very pretty.”_

* * *

That morning when I bathed Edward in the tub, I noticed that he had tiny scratches on his chest and stomach. He didn’t seem to notice until he saw my facial expression. 

“I’m bleeding?” He asked. 

“No, love, they’re just scratches…” I studied the broken skin. “Does it hurt?” 

He shook his head. 

“... maybe we should get you back in the suit.” I said after some thought. 

“No, please,” he begged ever so sweetly. I could understand why he wouldn’t want to put the suit back on, especially with how hot it is outside. 

“But I don’t want you to hurt yourself-”

“Please, no,” he repeated with his pleading eyes. “It won’t happen again.”

“....I’ll give you one more chance but if anything else happens, the suit goes back on.” I said. 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

After I got him dressed, I let him have complete reign over the TV. He sat on the couch bundled in blankets galore, his eyes never leaving the screen. 

“What do you want for breakfast, Edward?” I asked, peering into the living room. 

“Cookies,” he said without a second’s thought. 

“...For breakfast?” I stifled a chuckle. 

He didn’t see any problem with it. “Yes.”

“Well, sweetheart, we don’t have any cookies. I need to go grocery shopping.”

“... okay… waffles, please.” 

“Coming right up.” 

I got some frozen waffles from the freezer and put two in the toaster. While I was at it, I retrieved the syrup since Edward likes his waffles drenched in it. 

I knew I shouldn’t give him so much sugar, but I couldn’t help but spoil him. 

As I took out the cooked waffles from the toaster and added a new batch, I could hear the familiar barking from outside. From the window I could see the neighborhood stray dog wagging his tail and pawing at my front door. 

I knew the drill, the poor thing would show up at my place every so often begging for water and scraps. I took out a bowl and filled it with water as I listened to the dog’s barks continue. 

It caught Edward’s ear as well. “Nora…?” He sounded scared. 

“It’s just the dog, baby,” I said. “You wanna come say hi?” 

He further retreated into the blankets and shook his head. But the moment I headed towards the front porch, he left the couch and followed me. The dog stopped barking at the sight of us. 

“Come close, Edward,” I said gently, putting the water on the ground. “Here, give this to him.” I coaxed him to push it towards the dog. 

The stray wasted no time to lap up the water eagerly and it brought an excited smile and hand twitches from Edward. 

“See? He’s sweet.” I reached over and pet the dog as he drank. 

Edward tucked his knees to his chest and studied the creature. “He looks hungry,” he said. 

“He probably is, poor thing.” 

“Can he have waffles, too…?” 

“You have to eat first, then we’ll see what’s left.” I answered. I got up, “C’mon, they’re ready.” 

He stayed in his place. “I don’t want to leave him alone…” 

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. “Of course, how could I forget?” 

The moment I left, I noticed through the window that the dog took my former spot next to Edward and rested his head on his lap. Edward lifted his hands away from the stray to make sure he didn’t touch him. 

I refrained from fretting over the dirty creature laying on my Edward. Instead, I gathered the waffles on two plates (one with extra syrup), and went back outside. 

The dog’s head perked up at the sight of the food. I gave him my plate so he’d leave Edward’s alone. 

“...what’s his name?” he asked, his eyes never leaving the stray. 

“He doesn’t have one,” I cut up the waffle and gathered up a forkful. “Open up.” 

He let me feed him. “Why?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, love,” I reminded him. “And it’s because he doesn’t belong to anyone.”

Edward finished chewing before he continued. “Can we give him a name?” 

I bit the side of my mouth. I knew exactly where this was going, and I regret leading him there. Once he names it, he’ll get attached. 

“I don’t know, I’m not good at naming things…” 

“That’s okay,” said Edward, still anticipating a decision. 

“Umm…” I looked around the porch for inspiration. 

In the end, I decided to reuse the name of my childhood cat. “How about Rusty?”

“I like that,” he said and smiled at the dog. “Rusty.” 

The dog was too busy licking his empty plate to notice us. 

“Can he come inside with us?” Asked Edward. 

I held another forkful of waffles to his mouth. “Finish your food, love.” 

Edward kept asking and asking, so eventually caved in. I had no other choice. My only condition was that we’d clean him before we let him inside, so I took him to the backyard and washed him off there. I used all my dish soap on washing the dirt off him.

As I hosed the suds out my yard, I let Edward give Rusty a haircut to get the hair from covering his eyes. Then I carried out my part of the deal and let the stray inside. 

It took everything in me not to throw a fit over Rusty running around the house and tracking in water, but I had to calm myself since Edward was so excited to have a dog in the house.

Eventually Rusty settled down next to Edward, drenching his clothes and my cloth couch. 

Edward frowned and mimicked a petting motion over the dog, before folding his hands and holding them to his chest. 

“Here, let me…” I went to his side and ran my hand through Rusty’s wet fur. The dog’s tail thumped against the couch as I pet him. 

“...is his fur soft?” Asked Edward. 

“When his fur dries it’ll be soft but it’s kind of coarse now...” I took one of his wrists and used his arm to pet the dog. “See?” 

Edward’s eyes widened. “N-no, what if I-”

“Shh, you’re not gonna hurt him,” I assured him. “Look, he’s almost falling asleep.” I gestured to Rusty struggling to keep his eyes open. Edward relaxed at my words and let me move his arm along the dog’s spine. I eventually let go of his wrist so he could pet the dog on his own. 

He smiled to himself and pet the dog slowly, just as I did. In response, Rusty rolled over, exposing his stomach to him. 

Edward gasped and jerked arm away from the dog. “Did I hurt him?!”

“It’s okay,” I giggled. “That means he likes you.” 

“Oh….” He relaxed and continued petting him. I noticed as time passed, his soft smile began to fade. 

“What’s on your mind?” I fixed his hair to smooth down some of his flyaways. “Hm?” 

“...Dad would’ve liked him, right, Nora?” 

That hit my heart like a dagger. This whole time I never sat him down and talked about how he felt about his Dad passing. 

“Yeah, he would’ve,” I replied. “You miss him a lot, huh?”

“Yes…” he stopped petting Rusty and rested his arm on him instead. 

“Do you feel sad a lot?” 

“Mhm…” 

“Sweetheart,” I held his face and turned it to me. “why didn’t you tell me?” 

“‘Cuz you seem so happy…” his voice started to break. “I didn’t wanna make you sad...”

“Oh no no no, I’m happy because you’re here,” I said. “You know that I love you so very much. You don’t have to be happy all the time for me to love you any less. It won’t make me sad.”

“Really?”

“Yes and you can tell me anything,” I guided his head to rest on my shoulder. “I would rather have the truth than you keeping all this inside. It won’t make you feel any better.”

Edward looked at his lap and was silent for a bit. “...I miss him.” 

“I know, honey,” I kissed his forehead. “I know.” 

  
  


Later that day, women from the neighborhood demanded Edward’s yard work, so I was by myself for a few hours. In the meantime, I shopped for dog necessities for Rusty and made dinner when I returned home. 

I was ashamed to admit that I missed having Edward with me for that period of time. But it’s not like the neighbors working him half to death will make him any less of a homebody. 

When he finally came home, I was in my room painting my nails. I could tell he was home by the sound of Rusty barking and running around the house with exuberance. 

“Hi baby,” I greeted him. “How was it?”

He had twigs in between his fingers and leaves in his hair. To make matters worse, there were dirt stains on his new white shirt. 

“Good,” he answered, despite looking completely exhausted. He shuffled over and sat next to me. I made room so he could rest his head on my lap as I finished my top coat. I didn’t fret about him tracking dirt on my sheets, I was going to wash them anyways. 

“Poor thing, they worked you half to death,” I murmured. 

“I’m alright...” but his face told a different story. “Your nails changed colors?” He asked, gesturing to my hands.

“Oh, it’s just nail polish,” I chuckled and showed him my pastel pink nails. “You like them?” 

He nodded, but he still looked confused. 

“Here, I’ll show you how it works,” I said. I instructed him to sit up and I helped him take off his shoes with my dry hand. 

I retrieved the polish and applied it to his nails. 

He smiled and twitched a little bit, “it’s cold…” He wiggled his big toe with curiosity. 

“Yeah it can be-” I giggled and held his toe still. “Don’t move, it needs to dry.”

“Oh- sorry…” 

I hummed a random tune to myself and applied the first coat to the rest of his foot. 

“...hey, Nora?”

“Hm?”

“...What do girls like…?” 

“Good question…” I said. I paused to think. It was a complicated question since every girl is so different. “They like many things… I know most girls like sweet boys just like you,” I tapped his nose with my finger to make him smile. 

“...but what kind of things do they like?” 

“That depends on the girl,” I finished his second coat and switched to his other foot. “It’s about Kim, isn’t it?”

Edward blushed and didn’t say a word. 

“You can tell me anything, remember?” 

He played with his hands. “Yes… it’s about Kim…”

“Aww! So cute-” I exclaimed, but I stopped myself upon seeing how embarrassed Edward was. “Did you see her today?”

He nodded. 

“Did you say hi?”

“Tried to…” 

I frowned. “Was Jim with her?”

“Yes…”

I could only imagine what kind of rude things Jim said to him. It made me feel horrible to imagine my Edward getting humiliated in front of his crush. 

“Oh honey, don’t pay him any mind. He’s just a bully,” I said. “Kim is a very sweet girl if you catch her alone.” 

“I don’t think she likes me…” 

“She doesn’t even know you yet,” I put the nail polish aside, giving him my full attention. 

Edward’s hands spasmed a couple times. “But I’m different…”

“That’s all the more reason for her to like you.” 

He gave me a doubting look before tucking his knees to his chest. 

“Look at me.” 

It took a while to get his attention, he was too deep in his nerves to listen to me. 

“Edward, baby…” 

He finally obeyed, boring a hole into my heart with his sad eyes. 

“I promise if she knew the sweetheart I know, she would be head over heels.” 

“You mean it?” His posture straightened a bit. 

“You know I do,” I said with a smile. “Now, are you hungry? Dinner’s been on the stove for a minute.”

Edward shook his head. “Stomach hurts…”

I groaned. “Alright, what’s the damage?” 

“Ms. Wilson made cookies.”

“How many did you eat?” 

Edward wiggled his newly painted toes and shrugged. 

“You do know,” I insisted. “Tell me the truth.”

He shook his head. “I don’t remember…”

“I promise I won’t get mad,” I said in a softer tone. 

He hesitated. “...all of them...” 

“Edward!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got kinda lazy with this one :// sorry it’s been a long week


	6. Chapter 6

_There were times I would be so exhausted. I would spend the morning being emotionally tormented by my husband, questioned on every action I do up to the way I made his coffee in the morning._

_He would hate me leaving and going to work, showing everyone in the neighborhood who the breadwinner was._

_It wasn’t that he was unemployed, but he was more committed to his gambling addiction than he was to his bills or to his wife._

_“You spend too much time over there,” he would always grumble before I left. No “bye, honey,” no “I love you”; only a criticism._

_Today it was: “Don’t wear that dress anymore, it makes you look fat.”_

_And each and every time, I would ignore him and depart to the mansion._

_There were times I would want to confront the Inventor, to tell him how tired and worn out I feel. Sometimes, I wouldn’t even need to explain myself; I would show up with bruises that even his old eyes could spot. But he would never intrude, nor say a word in fear of making me uncomfortable. Instead, he offered me a pastry from his machines and made sure I had as little to do as possible._

_I was yet to request a day off to sleep while my husband was away. He would no doubt grant me one, but I would see Edward emerge from behind him, looking at me with his big excited eyes._

_In that moment, all my tiredness faded away, and I would go back to the dependable Nora they knew me to be._

_“There he is!” I exclaimed with a wide smile. “There’s my sweet boy!”_

The next couple of weeks were extremely difficult. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Edward expressing himself by his yard work, or the company of a dog in the house, but it became a toxic combination. Edward would come home with awful stomach aches from being offered every sweet treat under the sun. It was to the point where he would frequently wake up in the middle of the night. And if it wasn’t his stomach that would wake him up, Rusty would bark at random times, probably from hearing animals outside or something. 

On the nights I wasn’t working, I would let Rusty stay in my room to prevent him from interrupting Edward’s slumber. 

But alas, I would hear Edward quietly knock at my door at an unimaginable hour. 

I was always met with his face contorted in pain and his body slouched over. I would ask him what’s the matter every time, as if his answer would one day divert away from “tummy hurts.” 

A nightly pattern began to form: I would take him back to his room, lay down with him and rub his stomach while reading to him until the pain would go away or until he fell asleep. 

If he eventually went back to sleep, it was nearly impossible to sneak out of bed and go back to my room. He was such a light sleeper and would stir if I made the slightest movements, so I was stuck there until morning. 

I didn’t mind staying with him, the only problem was that Rusty was freed from my room and would start barking a few hours later. And I would have to do the same things to get Edward back to sleep again. 

Every night was the same, to the point where I would instinctively wake at the hour Edward would come to my room, and the hour Rusty would start up barking again. After weeks of the same routine, bags formed on my eyes as well as Edward’s. 

Every morning that he got ready to go cut someone’s hair, or make a new yard creation, I would tell him the same thing: “Don’t eat too much.”

I knew he couldn’t possibly say no to women who pride themselves on cooking, so encouraging him to eat less was a better alternative. But I knew the boy had no self control. 

One night after a day full of binging, he asked to skip dinner altogether, which is unlike the Edward I know. That was when he was at his worst. 

Later that night, I heard his knocks at the usual time. I got up and felt my way through the dark to answer the door. 

“What’s the matter, baby?”

He didn’t answer, he just leaned on the wall, trembling. As I studied him I began to notice vomit stains on his mouth and shirt. 

“...Where did it happen?” 

“In the bed,” he said with a guilty look on his face. “I’m sorry.”

“Nonono, don’t be sorry, it's natural,” I assured him. I went back to his room with Edward following close behind me, as if there was a monster hidden in his bed. 

The remnants of all that he ate were concentrated on the sheets and pillowcases. 

“Well nothing got on the floor, so cleanup will be easy,” I said. “It’ll only take a few minutes. You can go lay down in my room if you’d like.” 

Edward didn’t reply, or look like he was listening in the first place. His breathing got heavier and his throat began twitching. 

I went to his side and half guided, half dragged him to the bathroom and made him kneel over the toilet. 

I rubbed his back and comforted him as he threw everything else up. 

When he was done, he was near crying because it hurt so much. 

“Nora…” he sniffled. 

“You’re okay, honey.” I cooed. “It’s allll over.” I took some toilet paper and wiped his mouth and chin with it. “How does your tummy feel?”

“Worse...” his voice trembled, and then came the waterworks. 

“Shhh, it’s alright,” I murmured, holding his face and wiping some tears away with my thumbs. “You’re just a little sleepy, that’s all.” 

He didn’t disagree with me on that. By the time I could calm him down, his eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks and nose were flushed.

“We just gotta get you a new shirt and sheets, then we’ll get you back to bed, okay?” 

“Okay…” he hiccuped. 

I changed him into a clean set of pajamas and tucked him into my bed while I cleaned up the mess. By the time I was finished, poor Edward was too tired to move, so I let him stay. 

I laid beside him and rubbed his tummy. I was too exhausted to retrieve a book, so I made up a bedtime story on the fly. It was some crossover between the Princess and the frog and rapunzel. 

Edward sure made things difficult. Just when I thought I ended the story, he would ask, “then what?” 

I would keep going to the point where I was too tired to recall the last sentence I said, and Edward’s “then what”s were just a means of him fighting sleep. 

But with enough of my ramblings, he eventually drifted off. 

It was easy to handle him when I was home, but when I was out working, it was a different story. He usually sleeps through my absence, but with his newfound stomach problems and a restless dog, he would wake up at night and realize he was alone. 

The first time I returned home and found Edward out of his room, something about him changed. 

He sat in a corner, twitching and trembling. 

“Edward? What are you doing up?” I kneeled down to him, but he didn’t respond, or even look at me with his unblinking eyes. He was completely disassociated.

“Edward,” I repeated, this time scared. “Can you hear me?” 

I rubbed the sides of his face and his hair to try to soothe him, but he remained stiff as a statue. The entire time, he didn’t blink once. 

I tried to remain calm and talk to him as if he was mentally present. 

“... alright, I’m gonna stand up, can you stand, darling?” I rose and brought him with me by his shoulders. 

He stood on his own, but still had the same disposition. But at least some part of him was somewhat functional. 

“That’s a good boy,” I said gently. “Walk down the hall with me.” 

I wrapped my arms around him and led him to his room. His feet shuffled against the floor, each step was deliberate as if he would lose his balance any moment. 

I took him to his room and helped him into bed. Even laying down, he still remained unresponsive. 

Not knowing what to do, I sat on the side of the bed and made up stories until I fell asleep. 

The next morning, poor Edward would still be wide awake. But upon realizing I was there with him, he would snap back to normal. His responses to being alone must have been from the trauma of being abandoned in the mansion for so long. It especially broke my heart since I was part of the cause. From then on, I made sure he’d stay at the Boggs house while I was gone, but the problem with that was Peg was so excited to have him, she would spoil him with all sorts of things instead of making him sleep. 

  
  


“How are you feeling?” I asked him the morning after he threw up. I was propped up leaning against the wall, where I slept uncomfortably all night. 

“...still sick…” he murmured. 

“Poor baby,” I cooed. “maybe you should stay home today.” 

I was thinking of having him have a rest day for a while now. The neighborhood works him so hard and feeds him all sorts of things that he can’t handle, and I’m left to pick up the pieces. 

“Will you be here?” 

“Yes, I’ll be here all day long,” I pressed my lips to his forehead. “Do you think you can eat just a little something?” 

He shook his head. 

“Oh, honey,” I sighed. “...Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

“Where-?” He sat up the moment I moved a muscle. 

“Hey, it’s alright,” I assured him. “I’ll be right back, I just want to get you some medicine.” 

Usually his stomachaches don’t carry on to the next day, so I needed to take new measures. Edward relaxed and allowed me to go get some Pepto Bismol from the medicine cabinet. 

I came back and poured some of the pink liquid in the measuring cap. 

“What’s that?” Asked Edward. 

“It’ll help your tummy,” I held the cap to his lips. “Drink.” 

He faced away from my hand. “Why’s it pink?” 

“ ‘Cus I like pink stuff,” I said with a smile, showing him my nails. “Remember? There’s pink on your toes, too. Pink things can’t be bad.” 

He seemed to trust my made up logic, and allowed me to give him the medicine. 

His face lit up at the taste of it. “...tastes like bubblegum.”

“See? It’s good!” I screwed the cap on and set it aside. 

His eyes followed the pink bottle. “...Can I have more?”

I laughed. “Another time, baby.” 

In between letting him sleep off the pain, I would enter the room and try to coax him to eat some crackers and drink some water. That was the only time I’ve ever seen him say no to me. 

“You won’t feel better if you won’t eat anything,” I said, holding a cracker to his mouth. “Just eat one and I’ll leave you alone.” 

“No, it hurts…” 

“Just a little bite for me? Pretty please?” 

“I can’t,” he groaned. 

“Edward,” I frowned, and some of my exhaustion emerged to the surface. “Please.” 

He noticed my change in mood, and let me feed him a cracker. He even accepted a half of a second one. 

I reverted back to my cheerful self. “That’s all that I wanted,” I said. “Now, don’t forget to drink water.”

And upon his wish, I put the crackers away. 

I regret letting Edward sleep all day, because then he wouldn't be tired at night. And what’s worse, I had to work again that night and the Boggs were out of town. 

After I bathed him and out him into pajamas, I tucked him in and read to him like I do every night.

Then, after I finished the book, I kissed his cheek and told him that I loved him, like I do every night. 

Then, I rose to leave, but Edward stopped me. He knew I wouldn’t just be in the other room, especially with my uniform and makeup on. 

“Please don’t leave me alone,” he pleaded. With his puppy dog eyes, I could’ve almost given in. 

“Baby boy,” I went back to sit down and play with his hair. “I have to work. That’s how I make money for the house and food and even the water.” 

“Why can’t you miss a day?”

“When you have a job, you have to show up everyday the best you can because people depend on you.”

Edward didn’t protest, but I could see doubt in his face. 

“If I wanted to stay, I would,” I said. “I miss you every time I go. But I always come back, and I’ll be back in the morning.” 

“What if you don’t come back again?”

That made my heart sink and my throat dry. I stopped to think of an answer. “Well… I promised you that I wouldn’t do that again. And I stuck to my promise so far, haven’t I?” 

He nodded, “you have…. But I’m scared.”

“I know,” I murmured, pushing some strands of hair from his face before resting my hand on his cheek. “But I know you’re my brave boy, right?” 

He nodded, “yes, but-” 

“And Rusty will be right there with you, so you won’t be by yourself, right?” 

“But he gets scared, too…” 

I sighed, he had a point, but there was nothing else I could do at that moment. I couldn’t take him to work with me, especially if he’s feeling sick. He would take a lot of attention that I don’t have. 

“Edward, if you let me go to work...” I hesitated. “I promise to take you out for ice cream when you feel better. How about that?” 

He lifted the corners of his lips into a small smile. “Deal.” 

I tried to stop myself from giving an exaggerated exhale in relief.

“What a brave boy I have,” I said, and ambushed his face in kisses to make him laugh. I pulled the blanket as high as I could without covering his hands. “Alright, now close your eyes for me.” 

“Wait-” 

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, holding his wrist so he knew I was there. “I just want you to close your eyes. Can you do that?” 

He reluctantly obeyed, and I waited until I was sure he was sleeping lightly before I snuck out. 

Rusty almost caught me leaving and let out a few aggressive barks. I managed to get him to be quiet by bribing him with some leftovers. I left the house with doubts in my mind, and I was so close to just turning the car around and taking an unexcused night off. But I really couldn’t afford such a stunt. 

_They’ll be okay,_ I told myself. _It’s just like every other night._

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

_Edward scooted away from the windows on the brink of tears. The Inventor tried his best to calm the poor boy down, but it was no use._

_He remained as patient as he could with Edward, especially since this was his first thunderstorm._

_I raced around the house making sure all the curtains were closed so Edward couldn’t see the lightning outside, but my haste seemed to make him even more nervous._

_“Shh, it’s just the rain,” said the Inventor. “Come here, Edward.” He held his arms out to Edward and pulled him in for a hug._

_Poor thing got so shaken up that he started to cry and shut his eyes._

_“Nora, how about you play some music?” asked the Inventor, in between trying to calm Edward down. “It’s so dreary in here, isn’t it?”_

_I obeyed and put some of the Inventor’s classical music over the record player._

_The echo of the music dominated the sounds of rain and faint thunder._

_“Ah yes, my favorite,” said the Inventor, humming to the tune._

_Eventually, Edward got the courage to open his eyes and look around at his surroundings._

_“Is that better, darling?” I asked him._

_“Yes...” he said._

* * *

  
When I got outside, I was surprised to find how dark it was, especially for 7 in the morning. It was so humid that I could barely breathe, and there were puddles everywhere I stepped. Then, I heard the thunder, bringing pouring rain with it. 

I scoffed and rushed into my car, but my clothes were already drenched and my makeup was runny. 

“Damn this rain…” I muttered. “Rain…” I paused. The rain. Edward hated the rain. “ _shit_!” 

I sped all the way home and nearly busted down my front door. 

“Edward??” I called. I tried to switch on the lights, but nothing happened. The power was out. 

I felt through the dark and made my way down the hall. “Edward, love?” 

Another outburst of thunder interrupted me, followed by the frantic barks of Rusty. 

I followed the noise to Edward’s room. Rusty darted to me, barking some more. 

I kneeled down and pet him until he calmed down and went back to his business. 

I heard small _snips_ , and I could make out Edward's hunched, shaking silhouette. There he was in his bed, right where I left him. 

“Oh, my baby,” I went over to him. “Are you alright??” 

I didn’t even let him answer. The moment I was near him, I brought him close and held him. I could feel the tears on his face. “I’m so so sorry,” I whispered.

He remained non responsive, so I held him tighter and kept talking to him. 

“Nora’s right here,” I said. “You hear my voice? You’re not alone, it’s all okay now.” 

The thunder boomed again with a flash of lightning. The noise seemed to snap Edward out of it. He whimpered and trembled against me. 

“Shh, I’m right here,” I rocked him back and forth. “It’s okay…just listen to my voice.” 

I hummed random tunes so he’d know I was still there. After some waiting, the power turned back on and illuminated the room. 

I noticed the mattress and sheets were ripped, some pieces were stuck in Edward’s blade fingers.

Another roar of thunder ensued, powerful enough to shake the house. 

He hid his face in my neck, as if I was the key to stopping the storm. 

The thunder kept going, getting louder and louder, and before I knew it, a puddle formed from under Edward and expanded across the sheets. His eyes widened as he watched it grow. 

“Oh my…” I rose off the bed so the urine wouldn't touch me. 

“I-I’m sorry-” stuttered Edward. “I- I didn’t-”

“It’s alright, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” I said, helping him up. 

“B-but I-”

“I know,” I murmured. “I’m not upset.” I held his arm and led him to the bathroom. 

I filled up a bath for him, trying to ignore the little bouts of thunder that would occur. 

Every time Edward would hear it, he would jump in place and accidentally splash me with water. 

“The storm can’t hurt us, honey, you’re alright,” I said as I washed him off. His ribs weren’t protruding out of his skin as much, but he was still terribly thin. 

The sweets from the neighbors possibly helped, but if it made him sick all the time, then I needed to find a different way for him to gain weight. 

The thunder interrupted my thoughts. As hard as Edward tried to fight it, his nerves overtook him and he began to cry again. 

“Hey, shhh,” I said. “I know it’s scary. Do you know how my dad used to explain it?” 

He sniffled and shook his head. 

“You remember what bowling is? The game that Bill is good at?” 

“Yes…” he replied, blinking his remaining tears away. 

“Well my dad used to tell me that thunder is just from angels bowling.” 

“But why does it rain so hard too?”

“Good question,” I drained the tub and wrapped Edward in a towel. “I think it’s just the sore losers crying.” 

He smiled at my words. “Is Bill doing all that?”

“No, silly boy,” I giggled. “Bill isn’t an angel. They have different bowling champions.” 

The thunder boomed once more, but Edward didn’t flinch this time. 

  
  


The storm went away within a few minutes and the sky cleared up again. 

I took advantage of that time to teach Edward how to use the phone. I shuddered to imagine him being scared and alone, or potentially hurt himself when I’m not around. 

Since it was plastic, we practiced picking up the phone and hanging it up, and dialing my home and work phone numbers. 

It was so much information at one time, and I often had to remind him of the right numbers. I was just thankful that he was patient and didn’t get overwhelmed. 

“Okay,” I said after a good ten minutes reviewing with him. “If you’re not at home and you need to talk to me, what number do you dial?”

“682…”

“That’s the work phone, baby.” 

“Um… I don’t remember…”

“That’s okay,” I said, and I reminded him once more. Then I had him repeat it a couple of times until his attention fluttered elsewhere. 

“Alright, I’m done,” I finally gave in once I couldn’t keep him attentive for much longer. “Are you hungry?” 

He grimaced at the thought of food. “No…” 

“If you’re not feeling good, then make sure you tell those women ‘no thank you.’” 

“No thank you,” he repeated. 

I nodded. “And if they still force something on you, you call me, okay?” 

“Okay…” 

I reluctantly sent him off, praying he wouldn’t come back in too bad of a shape. 

  
  


After a few hours, Edward came back with his hair disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, and a bewildered expression on his face. 

“How was it?” I asked him. 

“It was okay…” he shifted his feet uncomfortably. “Where’s the Pink Stuff?” 

“...Edward,” I said in a calm tone. There was no use in getting frustrated with him and scaring him. “I told you to say no, remember?” 

“Joyce made me eat some of her ambrosia,” he frowned. “It didn’t taste too good…”

I sighed, “I can imagine. I’ll get the Pink Stuff.” 

I sat him down at the kitchen table and gave him some Pepto Bismol. As I held the cap to his lips, I noticed lipstick stains on his neck. 

“Where’d you get that from?” I asked. 

Edward gave me a confused look. 

“The lipstick marks on your neck.” 

His blank stare didn’t change. 

“Tell me what happened as Joyce’s,” I sat across from him so he would look at me. 

Edward recalled the entire situation and was unfazed by doing so. “She made me cut her hair again then she brought me inside, and she made me eat ambrosia then she got on me and took her clothes off and then-”

I grabbed Edward’s shoulders. “Did she touch you??” 

He furrowed his brows. “Yes… she was sitting on me.”

“No, no, I mean, did she touch any _uncomfortable_ parts?” 

He still didn’t understand what I meant, so I simplified it. “Did she get under your clothes?”

“No… but she tried to, I think.” 

“Oh sweetheart, are you okay?” I fixed his shirt collar and used my fingers to comb his hair back into place. “Did she scare you?” 

“A little bit…” 

I brought him into a hug and rubbed his back. “Don’t ever let someone touch you like that without your permission, okay?” 

“Okay…?” he seemed confused about my reaction. 

“And if that happens again with someone else, call me so I can come get you.” 

“After it happened, I went next door to Ms. Brooks’ house to call you,” he said. He seemed proud of himself, but his face sank within seconds. “But I forgot the number again…”

“And that’s alright,” I kissed his forehead and hugged him tighter. “Either way, I’m proud of you for leaving.” 

“N-Nora-?”

“Yea, baby?”

“I feel- I-” he broke from my embrace and threw up on the floor. 

“Oh!!” I exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry-” he said with a guilty look on his face. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault that you’re sick.” I said, taking a napkin and wiping his mouth.

After I cleaned everything up, I decided to take him to the doctor, since he’s been sick for so long. 

I went to a walk-in clinic close to the house, since it’s all that I could afford. 

I was thankful that most people were familiar with Edward from word on the street, so they weren’t alarmed when he walked in. In fact, the nurses and the receptionists were all over him. 

As we sat in the waiting room, the women surrounded him, asking him questions and giggling over his response. 

He seemed to enjoy the positive attention, and would try to carry conversation the best way he knew how. 

The doctor was just as friendly. 

“Hi, Edward, how are you?” he asked as he took us down the hall. 

“Um… good,” Edward replied bashfully. 

The doctor chuckled. “Then why’d you come here? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the company.” 

Edward was confused at the joke, but he laughed anyway to be polite. 

The doctor took his height and weight (which was difficult because of his hands), and then led us to a vacant room. 

“I’m sure you’re aware,” said the doctor, clearing his throat. “but he is underweight. Just make sure you’re regulating that.”

I nodded, “we’re working on it, he’s been getting better.”

“Alright,” he turned to Edward with a welcoming grin. “So, Edward, what seems to be the problem?” 

Edward looked to me to answer for him, so I explained to the doctor how he's been feeling sick since eating other people’s food, and how he’s been nauseous and refuses to eat. 

“Has he been drinking water regularly?” 

“It’s been a struggle,” I admitted. 

“Hm… sounds like food poisoning.” 

“Poison…?” Interrupted Edward with a scared look. 

“Not real poison,” explained the doctor. “It just means the food you’ve been eating has been upsetting your stomach. Have you had any medicine to relieve the pain?”

“...Nora gives me Pink Stuff.” 

The doctor turned to me for translation. 

“Pepto Bismol,” I explained. 

“Ahhh,” he said. “That can certainly help.” 

“Yes, but I feel like it doesn’t do enough...” I said. 

“I can put him on an antibiotic if you’d like,” said the doctor. “Of course, you also have to make sure he eats at least a little something.”

“Is it liquid?” I interjected. “I don’t think he’d do good with swallow pills.”

“I can make sure,” said the doctor with a smile. “Anything else that’s been concerning you?” 

“Um…yes,” I said. “It’s been hard to keep him asleep. He has a lot of anxiety and he wakes up in the middle of the night a lot.” 

“Well, at his age, most people just take melatonin.” 

“...I’m just cautious about what to put in his body,” I explained. “He was _made_ , not _born_ …” 

“I understand,” he said. I was sure the hands explained it all. “If you’re worried about his reaction to it, you could always try the kid’s one,” he turned to Edward and nudged his knee. “And they taste like candy.”

Edward’s face lit up at the sound of that. 

  
  


I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up Edward’s antibiotic and also buy some melatonin gummies. On our way home, I drove past Joyce’s house, where she was sitting outside, reading a magazine and sipping on fruit punch without a care in the world. 

The moment I saw her, I felt my face heat up. I immediately parked on the curb and unbuckled my seatbelt. 

“Nora…?” Asked wide-eyed Edward. “What’s going on?” 

“Stay in the car, baby. I just need to handle this.” I turned on the radio and turned the music up so he could be occupied. 

I got out of the car and slammed the door, which caught Joyce’s attention. 

“What the hell are you doing in my lawn?” She snapped. 

“If I ever see you near Edward again,” I said, inching closer to her. “If you even talk to him or look at him, I will make sure you are so fucking sorry, do you hear me?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” scoffed Joyce, before returning to her magazine. 

I snatched it out of her hands and set it aside. “You tried to touch him, don’t play stupid.” 

She was clearly uncomfortable, but she was still in denial. “I did nothing of the sort…”

“Yeah right,” I grabbed the fruit punch and splashed it in her face. “Good luck finding someone to cut your dry ass hair or keep up with your yard, you bitch.” 

Joyce gasped and rose from her seat. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” She cried. “This is a new dress! I could press charges as fast as-”

I raised my voice over hers. “So could I!” 

That shut her up, and the color began to sink from her face. “Leave,” she said sternly. “Now.” 

“One step ahead of you,” as I was walking back to the car, I turned around and shouted, “And your cooking is so shitty that it gave Edward food poisoning. You can’t even keep the plumber around with that shit!” 

“Get the fuck off my property!!!” 

“Fuck you, bitch!” I flicked her off and got back into the car. 

Edward’s shocked gaze didn’t leave me as I drove home. 

I turned the radio down. “Did you hear anything?” 

“...what’s a bitch?” 

“U-um…” I tried not to take too long to think. “Just… just don’t say that. It’s not a nice word. I was just really angry.” 

“Is that why you were yelling and throwing things?” He asked. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” I said. I truly felt embarrassed. “I didn’t handle it the best. Yelling and throwing things on people is not nice.” 

Edward nodded, “it’s okay…”

“And don’t go to Joyce’s house anymore. We’re gonna stay away from her from now on.” 

“That’s fine,” he said. “She’s scary…”

“Well, you don’t have to be afraid of her anymore.”


	8. Chapter 8

_I hated reading him books with humans in them before he went to sleep. He would always point at the pictures and frown. The Inventor urged me to try stories that didn’t have humans in them, but we eventually went through all of those more than twice over._

_This time, I tried covering their hands with my thumb as I read to him, but Edward was disheartened the moment he saw the people._

_I stopped reading and closed the book. “You know you’re just like everybody else, right?” I told him._

_“Hands…”_

_“Your hands are different, but it doesn’t make you less than anyone else,” I said, opening the book back up. “You have eyes, you have a nose, a mouth…” I said, pointing to the facial features of the character._

_Edward copied me and pointed to the person._

_“And you have ears and a smile full of teeth, just like your Dad. Just like me.”_

_He stared at the illustration with newfound wonder. “That’s me.” He said, pointing to the page._

_“That’s you? That’s Edward?” I chuckled, looking at the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy he was pointing to._

_“Yes,” he paused and focused on the hands. “No…”_

_“It’ll be you soon enough, sweetheart,” I said. “You’re just not finished yet.”_

_“Not finished,” he repeated with a satisfied nod._

* * *

  
The melatonin worked like a charm. Although I would periodically wake up in the middle of the night and expect Edward to be there, he never came.

After about a week of making sure he took his medicine, didn’t eat a lot of sweets, and got plenty of sleep, Edward was back to himself again. 

The day he got better, I took him and Rusty to the park. Much to Edward’s excitement, I tied the leash around his wrist so he could walk Rusty by himself. 

He wasn’t used to walking a dog, so Rusty was going all over the place, sniffing and jumping on the people walking by. 

“Make sure he’s near you,” I told Edward, grabbing his arm and showing him how to get Rusty under control. “If he wanders off, pull him closer to you.” 

“Okay…” he said, and the next time he saw Rusty getting close to another passerby, he jerked his arm. It didn’t hurt the dog or anything, it just caught him off guard. 

“And make sure you’re gentle,” I reminded Edward. “Just a little tug, not a yank.” 

“Tug, not yank… okay…” 

We went down the sidewalk, passing people having picnics, other dogs playing in the field, and some people just relaxing in their cars. 

Of course, Edward did get some stares. The moment he would pass certain people, they would disperse and relocate. But thankfully, he was too occupied with Rusty to notice. 

Edward stopped in his tracks the moment he saw an ice cream truck. It had the music and everything. 

“Nora, look,” he pointed to the man handing out ice cream to two young kids. 

“I see,” I said. “What about it?” I waited for him to voice himself, since it was something we needed to work on. 

“Um… can I …?” He got shy and his voice trailed off. “Uh…” 

I waited for him to add something, but he never did. “You want ice cream?” I answered for him. 

He nodded. “Please.” 

I did promise I would get him ice cream when he felt better, and now was my chance to follow through.

I smiled and retrieved my purse. “Well… since you’re so polite.”

I headed over to the ice cream truck with Edward and Rusty trailing behind me. 

Edward hid in my shadow, so the ice cream man couldn’t see his hands. 

“Hi! How may I help you?” He asked, his face more lively than ever. 

“Just a moment,” I said, before craning my neck to Edward. “What do you want, sweetheart?” 

His eyes darted from the patient man to me. He came closer and whispered in my ear:

“Ice cream cone.” 

“What flavor?” 

“...anything…” He said in his same volume. I knew he didn’t mean _anything_ , but he didn’t want the hassle of asking the man any questions. 

“How about chocolate? You like chocolate.” 

“Yes, please…” he paused and looked at the displayed cone sizes. “Can I have the sprinkles one?” 

“Not today, honey. You just got better.” I said. “You’re getting a small.” 

“Chocolate on the small cone?” Tuned in the ice cream man. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you could hear,” I said with a smile. “Yes, and uh… strawberry on a small cone, too?” 

“Sure thing!” 

After I paid and received both cones, Edward murmured a small “thank you” to me. 

“Don’t thank me, thank the nice man,” I said. 

“...thank you…” he repeated, slightly louder but still soft spoken. 

“You’re very welcome, young man,” chuckled the ice cream man. “Have a good one.”

The moment we walked off however, I noticed how the man’s cheerful disposition morphed into disgust. His attention never left Edward’s hands. 

I made sure we got as far away from the ice cream truck and from people as possible. I led Edward to an empty bench shaded by a tree and we sat there. 

He seemed to take more interest in the strawberry ice cream, so I traded our cones and fed him the strawberry one. 

Edward was so thrilled to have sugar for the first time in a week that he accidentally got some ice cream on his chin and the collar of his shirt. 

“Slow down, silly,” I told him. I was blessed to have a few tissues in my purse, since I didn’t want to go ask for napkins and experience any hostility from the ice cream man. I wiped Edward’s face and dabbed at his shirt to fade the stains the best I could. 

When I finished, I noticed Kim and her friends in the distance gathering around the ice cream truck. And Jim wasn’t in sight. 

“Ooh, look who it is,” I tapped Edward’s shoulder. 

The moment he saw her, he froze. 

“Go say hi,” I encouraged him. 

“B-but my shirt-”

“I can barely notice it.” 

Edward shook his head. “I don’t know what to say…”

“Maybe give her a compliment! Say her dress looks nice. Girls love compliments.” 

He looked at his lap and said nothing. 

“Honey, don’t you think her dress is pretty?” I asked, tilting my head so he could look at me. 

“Yes…” he blushed. 

“Then go tell her. Bring Rusty too, she’d love to meet him.” I nudged him off the bench, ignoring his protests. 

“Wait-”

“No, no. Go talk to her. Bye, I love you!” 

Edward shuffled over to Kim and her friends, who all got their ice cream and were just leaving the truck. 

“H-hi Kim…” he mumbled so quietly that I could barely make out the words. 

“Edward? What are you doing here?” I heard Kim ask. 

“... walking my dog.” He gestured to the leash around his wrist. 

Kim looked at Rusty and gasped. “You have a dog??” He detected her excitement and went to her with his tail wagging. “He’s adorable, what’s his name?” 

“Rusty…” Edward spoke to the ground. “Y-you can pet him if you want.”

“Thank you!” She kneeled down and scratched the fur on Rusty’s neck and behind his ears. 

Her friends circled around her with wide smiles on their faces. 

“I wanna pet him too, can I?” Asked one friend.

“Sure.”

That was permission for all four of them to replace Kim. Rusty loved the attention, his head would dart from one girl to another, his tail wagging even more. 

Kim stepped aside so they could all pet him. “How’s Nora?” she asked. “Is she here?” 

“She’s good.. and yeah...” he said. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he could continue. “uh.. I like your dress”

“Oh this old thing?” she said, playing with the fabric. “It’s all faded because I’ve had it for so long, but thanks.”

Edward nodded, and the pair stood in silence as Kim’s friends were still gawking over Rusty. 

“... I gotta go now…” he said abruptly, after a few seconds of awkwardness. “Bye.” 

He tugged Rusty back to where I sat, leaving the girls to stare amongst each other in confusion before laughing the whole thing off and walking away.

“Why the long face?” I asked as he sat down next to me. “You made her smile! I’m so proud of you!”

“I made her smile….?” He asked, his face brightened just a little. 

“Yes! Look at how you can talk to her when Jim’s not around.” 

“I still didn’t know what to say….”

“And that’s alright. It takes lots of practice.” 

I gave him the second ice cream cone for being so brave, and once he finished it, we decided it was time to go home. Little droplets of rain hit my windshield as I was driving. It could be ignored, until the rain got heavier and heavier, leaving loud _splats_ on the window. 

The heavy rain unsettled both Edward in the passenger’s side and Rusty in the back seat. 

The dog’s whining made Edward even more nervous, and he began fumbling with his hands. 

“Shh,” I said to both of them. I put one hand on Edward’s shoulder and used the other to keep driving. “Look, it’s just water, see?” 

He stared wide eyed at the rain and didn’t say a word, but I could feel him trembling. 

“It’s alright, we’re almost home.” I murmured.

I pulled into the garage and walked around to let Rusty out of the car. When I opened the door for him, he darted outside and started splashing and barking in the rain, his tail wagging and his ears perked. 

“Oh,” I laughed. “Would you look at that…”

Edward wasn’t amused, and he shrunk in his seat the moment I went to get him. 

“Come on, love,” I said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Get out the car.” 

He shook his head. “It’s raining…”

“The rain can’t touch you, silly.” I said. “You’re in the garage.” 

After he refused for a second time, I didn’t push him any further. 

Instead, I dashed into the rain with Rusty and splashed in the puddles. “Edward, look!” I said, holding my arms up to catch some of the droplets. “Look, it’s not scary!” 

He peeked his head from the car door, but he didn’t budge. 

I raced back to him, my clothes and hair soaking wet. “Cmon I’ll show you, it’s fun.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him out the car. I retrieved an umbrella from the back seat and walked him out, holding the umbrella over his head. 

He flinched when he heard the rain pattering around him, but I just kept smiling and insisting it was okay. 

I held out my arms to catch some of the rain and I splashed some rainwater on his cheeks and nose. 

“It’s just water, see?” 

He scrunched up his face and tried to hide a laugh, “it’s cold…”

“I know, isn’t it nice?” 

Rusty was having a field day, barking and trying to catch rainwater in his mouth. 

Edward finally got the courage upon seeing Rusty unfazed by the rain. He was preparing to hold his hand out the umbrella like I did, but I stopped him. 

“I don’t want your hands to rust,” I said. “Just poke your head out.” 

That seemed more of a feat than sticking his hand out. Edward gave me an unsure look. 

“I’ll do it with you,” I added. “Ready? One, two… three!”

I tilted the umbrella so our faces were exposed. Edward seemed to be doing just fine. He gave me a wide smile, despite his drenched hair covering his eyes. 

“Silly boy,” I giggled. “I told you it wasn’t scary.”

I moved around my driveway with him, stepping in any puddle I could find. It caught Edward off guard, but it didn’t take too long for him to join in. 

“Okay, let’s try that one together,” I pointed to a deep puddle near the end of the driveway. I ran with Edward to the edge and jumped right into it.

Edward splashed harder than me, getting rainwater in my shoes and on my jeans. 

“Edward!” I laughed, stomping my feet so I could get his clothes wet too. 

He splashed water on me again, and I did the same as payback. Before long, we were jumping in unison. I could hear Edward’s laughter over the storm and it felt like a breath of fresh air. 

Rusty interrupted us and nearly crashed into me, trying to catch the rain with his teeth. 

I stopped jumping and moved the umbrella once more. “Edward, look,” I tilted my head to try to drink some rainwater.

He copied me, and tried biting the rain just like Rusty did. 

We played around some more until I heard some thunder. I had to gather the energetic dog in my arms, trying to ignore his heavy weight, and I led Edward back into the house. 

Much to my relief, he didn’t flinch at the thunder. Rusty was the only one upset at the sounds. 

I gathered several towels and put one on the floor to sit all of us down. I proceeded to dry Rusty off first, since I couldn’t keep him in one place for long. 

When I was finished, I started on Edward. I put the towel on his head and pat his face and hair dry. 

There was a smile that never left his face and his eyes were filled with childlike excitement. It was the carefree smile of any normal kid off the block. That’s exactly what I wanted for him. 

The lightning flashed, followed by a roar of thunder that almost shook the house. Edward didn’t flinch once. 

“Look at you, so brave!” I removed the towel from his head and ruffled his hair. 

“It’s not scary,” he said with his chin held up proudly.

“That’s right,” I replied. “C’mon, let’s get you dry clothes.” 


	9. Chapter 9

_“What’s the matter, honey? Did you scratch yourself?” I cooed, sitting down next to Edward, who had his knees tucked to his chest._

_It was a rare occurrence, since the inventor always emphasized the importance of keeping his hands away from his face._

_But Edward was learning, and sometimes he would forget._

_“Ow ow ow ow,” he whimpered._

_“Shhh, let me see.”_

_He turned his cheek to show a small cut, barely bleeding._

_I dabbed the blood away with my handkerchief until the cut was barely visible._

_“And you wanna see some magic?” I asked._

_He blinked some tears away. “Mh-hm.”_

_“If I kiss it—” I kissed the cut. “It’s all better.”_

_He looked at me with wonder._

_“Do you still feel anything?”_

_He shook his head, his eyes sparkled as if there was a magician before him._

_“See?” I chuckled. “It works.”_

* * *

I adored Edward’s childlike tendency to always want to be near me, but I knew he needed to be around people his age. 

He didn’t seem to mind not being around his peers since he had his garden creations and hairstyles to occupy his mind. The effects only showed when he saw other teenagers and his disposition would change completely. 

He would hang his head or try to hide behind me. Some kids would snicker about him, which comes with being around teens, but most people didn’t pay mind to him at all. But Edward was convinced everybody was laughing at him.

I decided to volunteer to help Peg out with concessions at Kim’s high school. I figured it would help Edward learn to socialize a little better. 

As I changed his shirt, Edward was slouched over and staring at the floor. 

“Can I stay home?” He asked. 

“You’re scared of being alone, you know that,” I said. “I think if you come with me, you’ll have a good time.” 

He didn’t reply, or even look at me. 

I fixed the collar of his shirt and continued talking, “when we get there, make sure your chin is up,” I lifted his head with my hands. “Posture is important. Don’t be afraid to make eye contact. Smile, even.”

He did as told and straightened himself up, giving me a big smile. 

“There he is! Where have you been?!” I exclaimed, making him laugh. “You’ll do fine, sweetheart, just don’t be afraid to talk.” 

“Okay…”

I drove to the school with Edward dead silent on the passenger’s side. Not even music could lighten the mood. 

When I pulled into the crowded parking lot, Edward’s eyes widened. The game had apparently started, and I could hear the announcer and loud cheers from inside my car. 

I had to nearly pull Edward out of the car when the time came. And even when I got him out, he refused to walk. He had his full attention on the crowd, most of them were with their friends or too drunk to notice anything else. 

“You’re alright, I got you,” I murmured to him, holding his wrist. “You feel my hand?”

“Yes…”

“That means I’m right here,” I said. “You ready to go?”

He hesitated and took in a deep breath. “Okay…”

I led him to the crowded bleachers, and I managed to spot Kim near the front row. 

“Look over there,” I said. I tried to pull his arm, but I got resistance from Edward. “What’s the matter?”

He didn’t answer, but he kept pulling away from where I tried to take him. It became a tug of war, and people were starting to look. 

“Edward, _please_. Just go say hi,” I let go of his wrist and tried to push him into walking instead. 

Kim eventually noticed Edward and waved. He just gave her a blank stare, clearly flustered. He looked back at me. 

“Go over, I’ll be right at the concessions,” I said. “You’ll be fine, you’ve talked to her before.”

He reluctantly walked over to her. 

* * *

**Kim’s POV**

“Hey Edward,” I said. “Funny seeing you here.”

“Nora’s volunteering …” 

“Ohh. Makes sense.” 

There wasn’t much to say to him, he wasn’t much of a conversationalist. But he did seem like a nice guy when I got over his hands. 

“You wanna sit down?” I asked. 

“Thank you…” he said, always polite. He took a seat next to me. 

It was refreshing not to have my friends there. They would probably exchange glances and try to hide snickers. They’ve been saying for weeks that Edward has been crushing on me. I don’t know what to think, since he’s awkward around everyone. 

“Where’s your dog?” I asked after a period of silence. 

“Left him at home,” he replied. 

“Oh, I bet he would take all the attention off the game, huh?” I said, trying to enlighten the mood. 

Edward didn’t seem to get it, “maybe so…” 

If he had nothing to say, then why did he come over here?

Cheers ensued after a player got a touchdown. Edward jumped in his seat and looked around, startled and confused. 

“...You know anything about football?” I asked. 

He shook his head. 

“Well… right now everyone’s cheering because one of the players took that ball to the white line, a touchdown.” I explained. “That scores them six points. Seven points if-”

“Kimba, what’s he doing in my seat?” Boomed Jim, coming down to the front row. Edward was about to get up, but I stopped him. 

“It’s not your seat, Jim. Your name’s not on it.” I responded. “He had nowhere else to go.”

“And now I have nowhere else to go, hah?” He said. At first I thought he was serious, but I was met with kisses on my neck and jawline. 

“Jim, stop! We’re in public,” I said, my face getting hot. 

“No one’s paying attention,” he said, even though I could feel Edward’s eyes piercing into us.

Jim then lifted me up and took my seat. 

“Hey!” I giggled. “Give it back, asshole!”

“Not a chance,” he drew me in and rested his head on my waist as he watched the game. “Hey Scissors,” he addressed Edward without looking at him. “Go get us some food, will ya? Two cokes and some nachos?”

Edward got up rather quickly and left us by ourselves. 

“How is he gonna hold the food, genius?” I grumbled. 

“Relax, I did him a favor,” said Jim. “Nora’s there isn’t she? He’s always up under her.” 

“That’s because he doesn’t know anyone else.”

“You wanna go with Frankenstein, or do you want to take a seat?” he gestured to the empty chair. 

I sighed and sat next to him. 

* * *

**Nora’s POV**

Fifteen minutes later, Edward came back to me looking upset. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked. I brought him behind the concession stand and let Peg take orders so the line wouldn’t be held up. 

“I wanna go home…” 

“We can’t go home yet, it’s halftime,” I said, placing him down in the chair I sat in. “Did something happen?”

“I wanna go home,” he repeated, his voice shaking a little bit. 

“What happened? Is Edward okay?” Asked Peg over her shoulder as she put money in the cashier. 

“I think so,” I said to her. I kneeled down and spoke gently to Edward. “You wanna stay back here with me?”

He nodded. 

“You hungry? You want some fries?”

“Yes, please.”

I filled a cup of fries for him and sat next to him to feed him some. In between bites, he never said a word, but he did seem to relax a little bit. 

“Hey Nora?” Called Peg. “Sorry to bother you, but I have to use the restroom.”

“Oh, no worries,” I said, putting Edward's fries aside. 

Edward gave me a disappointed gaze. 

“I can’t stay with you, baby. I gotta cover for Peg,” I said, getting up. “You wanna go out there and try again?” 

He shook his head. “No…” 

“Just five more minutes for me, please?” 

He looked down at his feet. “...okay.” He said reluctantly. “...They wanted food.”

“Who?”

“Kim and Jim… nachos and.. two cokes…”

“Well, you know you can’t carry that,” I said as sweetly as I could. “I’ll put those things on the side for them, and they can come get it themselves, how about that?”

“Okay… thank you…”

“No problem, sweetheart,” I said. “Five more minutes okay? And when Peg comes back, I’ll come and get you.” 

I sent him off, and in between serving customers, I put two Cokes and nachos in a bag for Kim and Jim. 

Peg returns a few minutes later, right when things started to slow down again. “Sorry, dear! There was a line,” she said. “Where’s Edward?”

“Oh, he’s back out,” I answered. “He just got overwhelmed and needed a little break, that’s all.” 

“Oh, poor dear,” said Peg with a sympathetic frown. 

In the corner of my eye, I noticed the bag I set aside was gone. 

“Hey, have you seen a paper bag? I set it down over there,” I gestured to the empty space. 

“No, I haven’t,” she said. “Was something important in it?” 

“Um, sort of… can you give me a moment? I need to look for Edward.”

She didn’t ask any further questions and allowed me to step out. 

I scanned through the crowd, but Edward wasn’t in sight. 

“Edward??” I called, pushing through people. “Edward, where are you?”

As if fate answered me, I heard a large shatter and saw people circling around. 

I pried myself into the circle of people and made my way to the front, where I saw Edward. 

At his feet, there was the paper bag, in a puddle of coke and glass shards. 

I opened my mouth to say something, but Jim interrupted me. 

“I can’t believe he actually did it!!” He said, ejecting laughter from some of the surrounding people. “What a fucking dumbass.”

“Jim-” started Kim. 

“Jim, shut the fuck up,” I spoke up. I took Edward by the wrist and led him past the crowd and back to the concessions. 

“Honey, you didn’t have to do that,” I said with a sigh sitting him down. “I know you meant well, but they could’ve gotten the bag themselves.”

Edward didn’t seem to be listening. He cradled his arm, whispering “ow, ow ow…”

I kneeled down and rolled up his sleeve, exposing a slash on his forearm that could only be made from his own hands. 

He got upset the moment he saw the blood. Peg’s reaction didn’t help. 

“Oh dear! What happened? Is he okay?”

“Yes ma’am, he’s fine,” I said as politely as I could. I turned my attention back to Edward. “Come here, baby, let me see.” 

He sniffled and gave me his arm. 

“Oh, it’s just a scratch. We’ve dealt with those before, haven’t we?” 

“It hurts, Nora…” he said below a whisper, his eyes getting red and glossy. 

“I know, my poor baby,” I cooed, dabbing at the cut with a napkin. “I have bandaids at home. Yeah, I think I should take you home…” 

“Feel free,” said Peg. “It’s not crowded, anymore anyways. It only slows down from here.”

“Thank you, so very much,” I said. I hugged her goodbye and took Edward with me back to the car. 

“Edward!!” Called Kim. We stopped to give her time to catch up. “I’m so sorry, Jim was such a jerk, you didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s okay…” he said instinctually. 

“Listen, I know you didn’t have the best time but…” she hesitated. “I think the homecoming dance won’t be as bad.”

“...thank you.”

I took Edward home, where Rusty was excited to see him. It lifted his spirits a little bit. 

I sat him down at the kitchen table and got out the box of bandaids. 

“What color?” I asked. It took his mind off of the cut. 

“Um…” he looked through the assortment. “Purple.”

“Good choice,” I said. I applied the bandaid, only to have Edward frown at his arm and look back at me. 

“Sorry, I almost forgot.” I said, planting a small kiss on top of the bandaid and rubbing over it lightly with my thumb, as if it helped the magic set in. “There, all better?”

He nodded shyly. 

I took a seat next to him and placed my hands on his wrists. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry for forcing you to go to the game,” I sighed. “You weren’t ready, and I should’ve listened when you were uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay...” He replied. “... she said I should go to the homecoming dance.” He sounded shocked to hear it from his own voice 

I froze, “oh my goodness… you’re right!”

Edward smiled. “Yeah…”

“You’re so right, Edward!” I exclaimed, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you!”

“What am I supposed to do at a dance?” 

“Oh don’t worry I’ll show you everything! We need to get you a suit, and a corsage, and-”

“That sounds like a lot….”

“I have everything covered, honey,” I said. “You’ll see.”   
  


  
The next day, I was lucky enough to find a nice suit and dress shoes at a reasonable price.

“Feels a little tight,” said Edward, as I buttoned up his jacket. 

“It’s supposed to,” I replied. After all, he was used to wearing loose fit clothing since I didn’t want his hands to get in the way.

“Chin up, baby,” I said, holding up the blue tie that came with the suit. He obeyed, and I tied it around his collar. 

“So handsome! Look at you,” I turned him to the vanity mirror. “Now, let’s see about your hair…” 

I sat him down at the edge of my bed as I retrieved a brush and comb. 

“What about my hair?” Asked Edward. 

“Well if you brush it out like so,” I demonstrated on his hair. “It shows your little waves at the ends, see?” 

He studied himself in the mirror and bounced his head from side to side. 

“And…” I laughed and held his head still. “If you comb it, it’ll be like normal, a little straighter, like so-”

“Wait-” he moved his head away from the comb. 

I couldn’t help but smile. “Keep it wavy?”

“Yes please…”

“As you wish,” I tossed the comb away. “You want some cologne?”

He nodded enthusiastically. 

I went into the back of my closet and dug through some of my ex husband’s old things until I found the small bottle of cologne he never used. I remember getting it for his birthday, and discovering that he hated the softer scents. 

I sprayed it on my wrist to sample it. 

“I like it, how about you?” I held my wrist to Edward’s nose. 

He took a whiff and nodded, “yeah, it’s nice.” 

I gave him a few sprays, making him sneeze. 

“Oops, sorry, love,” I said. “At least you smell good. You feel ready?” 

He hesitated and frowned. “Not really…”

“Why not? Look in the mirror, look how handsome you look.”

“But I can’t dance.”

“Oh, no one can really dance, but people still do it anyway,” I turned on the radio and helped him up. “See, if you dance with somebody, you put your arms around her waist-” I reached for his wrists but he recoiled.

“But what if…”

“I promise I’ll be just fine,” I said, reaching for his wrists again. He reluctantly allowed me to put them around my waist. I instructed him to fold his hands so he couldn’t cut me. “See? I’m alright. Now, the lady will place her arms on your shoulders.” I demonstrated. “Do you know what to do next?”

Even though I knew he had an idea, he shook his head. I found that he sometimes just likes me to explain things, even things that he knew. 

“It’s simple, you just sway from side to side,” I shifted from one leg to the other, taking him with me. “You think you get it?”

“I think so,” he said, swaying with me.

“‘You think so?’ You’re a natural!” I encouraged him. At the same time, a faster song began to play. “Now, of course it depends on the song. If it’s fast you can speed up, and step around like this,” I simply stepped from side to side, I didn’t go too fast, so it was easy for Edward to follow me. 

He had fun with this one, and stepped faster than I did, and faster than the song itself, laughing as he did it. 

“Woah, there!” I joked, but picking up the pace with him. 

We danced around the house until I saw Peg’s car pull up in my driveway. 

“Oo- it's time to go.” I tucked some strands of hair behind his ear and made sure his tie was just right. “You’re definitely ready now. Can I have a smile?” 

He grinned at me with enthusiasm in his eyes. 

“Perfect,” I murmured. “...and before I forget-!” I raced to my bedside and wrote down my phone number on some scrap paper. 

I went back to him and stuffed the paper in his pocket. “In case you need anything, you call me okay?”

He looked at the pocket I put it in and nodded. 

“Have a good time, sweetheart,” I kissed his cheek, accidentally leaving a lipstick stain. “...oops!” I took out my handkerchief and wiped the lipstick stain off to the best of my ability. 

“What happened?” Asked Edward, confused. 

“Nothing, nothing,” I dismissed it. “Be safe, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Nora?!? Nora??” I heard banging on my door, which made Rusty bark. “It’s me, Kim!”

I answered the door to find Edward with his arm slung over Kim’s shoulder. He had a swollen black eye and blood trickling from his nose. 

“ _Oh my god-_ ” I covered my mouth to make up for my loss for words. 

“It was Jim,” said Kim frantically. “I’m so so sorry I don’t know what-”

“It’s alright,” I lied to calm her down. Inside, I was furious, but I knew it wasn’t her fault. “He’ll be alright, honey. Just go home.” I took Edward into my arms and nearly dragged him inside, closing the door behind me. 

He was sniffling and crying, which didn’t help the case of his bloody nose. 

“Edward, baby?” I said as calmly as I could, setting him on the couch. “I’m gonna need you to hold your head all the way up, can you do that for me?”

He did as he was told, which bought me some time to get a whole box of tissues and some ice. 

I came back to his side and held some tissues to his nose. “Okay, now you can look down.” I guided his head forward. “Good boy.”

I kept one hand holding a wad of tissues under his nose, and used the other to wipe his tears away. I didn’t know if he was crying because it hurt so much, or if it was from embarrassment. I could assume both. 

“Shhh, it’s almost gone, you just have to be patient,” I said gently as his sobs increased. I took him in my arms, humming to calm him down. 

“You’re okay, I’m right here.” 

I had a small success, and his crying did stop after a few minutes. But the moment I had to change tissues, he started up again. 

“Edward, nonono, it’s okay, it’s alright.”

I shushed him, rocked him, sang to him, but it was no use, he got worked up upon seeing every discarded tissue. 

After all, he hated blood. 


	10. Chapter 10

_ “Edward, look over here, look at me,” I coaxed him as I held the camera up.  _

_ His attention flitted from the birds chirping outside to the wind blowing papers around the room.  _

_ I followed wherever his gaze went until he finally noticed me.  _

_ “There you are,” I said. “Okay, now big smile! This one’s for Dad.”  _

_ Edward did one of his wide toothed grins that was more of a mimic of someone smiling then an actual smile. But it was adorable nonetheless.  _

_ “Beautiful!” I took the picture and waved it in the air so the ink would dry. “Do you wanna see it?” _

_ He shook his head.  _

_ “Oh, why not?” I frowned. “Look at what a handsome boy you are.”  _

_ “No…”  _

_ “Yes, you are. You’re the most handsomest boy I know.” I said, planting a kiss on his nose. _

_ “...really?” A glimmer of hope showed on his face.  _

_ “Really really.” I sat next to him and let him see the picture. “I could show Dad and he’d agree.” _

_ Edward studied the photo and upon realizing that I liked the picture, he gave me a genuine beam, his first real smile.  _

_ “Oh my god—” I scrambled for my camera. “Hold that face right there!!”  _

* * *

The next day, I somehow caved and made him cookies for breakfast upon his request. I just felt so awful at the sight of his bruised eye. It was a blessing his nose wasn’t broken, even though it seemed to cause him pain. 

I also wanted to reward him for bearing with me as I took pictures of all his injuries in case Jim’s parents wanted to take legal action. 

As the cookies were baking, I sat across from him and spoke as calm as possible:

“Wanna tell me how it happened?”

He shook his head. 

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

He said nothing in response. 

“Edward,” I sighed. “I have to know what’s going on. It’s my job to protect you, you know that.” 

“... am I in trouble?” He finally spoke, looking at me with scared eyes. 

“Oh, honey, no no no,” I murmured, resting my hand on his arm. “You did nothing wrong. I just need to know how you got hurt. Was it just Jim? Was it other boys, too?”

He didn’t seem to follow me. His eyes traveled back to the floor. “...is Kim in trouble?” He asked softly. 

“Of course not.” 

“Is Jim in trouble…?”

“Well, he definitely should be.”

Edward sank in his seat. “But… I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.” 

“Someone’s going to have to get in trouble,” I replied. “They can’t hit you and get away with it.” 

I was interrupted by the stove timer going off. This seemed to get Edward in a better mood. He let out a small gasp and perked up in his chair, his eyes lit up like Christmas. 

Seeing a bit of himself back to normal made me drop the topic. I smiled warmly at him and went to check on the cookies. 

I felt awful for forcing Edward to go to the football game, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to branch out. For the past few days, he didn’t feel like leaving the house, even when I mentioned Kim’s name. 

I really wanted a welcoming crowd for him, so I resorted to calling my family. 

They knew vaguely of Edward since I used to briefly mention him every now and then. The last time I talked to them about him was when I first took him home with me. 

They seemed excited about Edward’s arrival, clamoring and demanding to see him, but I wanted to get Edward stabilized before I exposed him to new things. But now, of all times, I think he needed a change of scenery. What was even better was that my sister Vicky had a son about Edward’s age. 

Later that day, I called my sister to let her know I was bringing Edward over. As I spoke to her, I could see Edward hiding behind the door, eavesdropping. I looked at his silhouette as I spoke. 

“Yeah he’s had a rough couple of days,” I said over the phone. “I think meeting family will make him feel better.” 

“Is everything okay?” inquired Vicky over the phone. I felt like one wrong explanation of the situation would get me lectured. 

“Yeah, of course, everything’s fine,” I insisted. “Right, Edward?”

He emerged from behind the door, visually shocked that I could see him. 

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” I said to him. “Come here, come say hi.” I made room on my bed for him. 

He shuffled next to me, still looking unsure. “Who is it?”

“This is my sister.”

“Is that Edward?” Asked Vicky over the phone, her tone gentling. 

“Yeah, he’s right here,” I said, holding the phone his way, but Edward shrank away from it. 

“Hi, Edward!” exclaimed Vicky over the phone. “A little birdie told me I might meet you soon.”

He didn’t reply, he just gave me a confused look. 

“Oh, sorry, Vicky,” I said, holding the phone back to my ear. With my free hand, I fixed the collar of Edward’s shirt. “He’s a little shy.” 

“That’s alright,” she said. “I’ll meet him soon enough.”

“Well.. I gotta go pack and what not. I’ll see you soon?” 

“See you soon,” she repeated. “Bye, Edward!” She spoke loudly over the phone so Edward could hear her. 

“Say bye, sweetie,” I held the phone to his mouth. 

“Bye,” he said softly, tucking his hands to his chest. 

I took the phone back and hung it up. 

“...where are we going…?” Asked Edward. 

I explained to him how my family has been wanting to see him for a while and my plan to visit them. 

As expected, he sounded unsure about the situation. 

“They’re very nice people,” I told him. “And they know how special you are to me.” 

“... but what about my hands?”

“They already know,” I replied, resting my hands on his wrists. “Edward, no one is thinking bad of you, I promise.”

He still seemed uneasy about it, but I assured him that once he meets them, he’d feel better. 

The next day I packed for the both of us, took Rusty to the Boggs’ house, and headed for the road. 

Seeing Edward getting visually jet lagged, I was forced to take a break in the road trip. 

With no hotel in sight, I decided to stop at my mom’s house. It had certainly been a while since I’ve seen her, with good reason, but I know she’d be happier to see Edward more than anything. 

Mom saw us in the driveway and emerged from the house. She was unaffected until she saw who was in the passenger’s seat. 

“Oh my goodness! Is that who I think it is?!”

Edward peered out the window, perplexed since he’s never seen her before. “Me?”

“Yes, you!!” She made her way to the car and helped him out, completely ignoring me in the process. “Look how tall you are! And so handsome! Aww…” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze. 

Edward forced a smile despite his confusion.

Mom pulled away and held his face, her wide smile still present. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“No…” he stared at her with big eyes. 

“And that’s alright!” She said. “I’m your Nana.”

I stifled the urge to roll my eyes as I got out of the car.

“What’s a Nana?” asked Edward.

“I’m Nora’s mom,” she explained, not wasting time to even look at me. “You see, I’m really really old.”

“...you’re really nice, though,” added Edward. 

Mom pinched one of his cheeks, catching him off guard “Aren’t you just an angel?” she cooed. “Are you hungry?” She grabbed his arm and turned him around. “Oh, you poor thing! Look how skinny you are. Does she even feed you?”

“Mom, stop that,” I snapped, pulling Edward close to me.

“Excuse me? He’s near starving,” she turned back to Edward and held his cheek. “Isn’t that right, Edward?”

“Uh… I could eat.”

“I bet you could,” she said, giving me a scowl. “What kind of food do you like?”

“Um… cookies.”

“She means dinner food, baby,” I reminded him gently.

“Oh…uh.. I like-”

“Let off him,” said Mom. “Sweets are dinner foods, aren’t they?”

Edward hesitated, his eyes darting between me and Mom. “I think so…?”

“Yeah, me too,” she replied. “Come on in, you two, it's hot out here.” 

She led us inside and made us sit down. 

Edward, fatigued from the drive, rested his head on my shoulder. As I ran my fingers through his hair, I tried starting conversation. 

“I see you changed the place around…” I said. 

“Of course it looks different to you, you barely come home,” scoffed Mom in reply. “Vicky bought me the new furniture set last Christmas.” 

She gathered numerous picture frames from her shelf and sat down across from us. 

“Come sit next to Nana, darling,” she said, patting the space next to her. 

Edward left my side and did as he was told. He allowed her to pull him close as she went through the pictures. 

“These are all my kids when they were young,” she said. “Jacob is the oldest, then Vicky, then William, and Nora is the youngest.” 

“Which one is Nora?” Asked Edward. 

“The little one with the pigtails and braces,” she pointed to a section of the picture. “Poor thing, she had to sleep with headgear. She had no choice but to sleep on her back and she would wake up the whole house snoring so lou-”

“ _ Mom _ ,” I muttered through clenched teeth. “This isn’t about me.”

“What? I can’t show him pictures?” she said defensively. 

Edward explored the other pictures in her hands. “Who are those?” He lifted his hand to point, but instantly retreated after he realized how close he was to Mom. 

“Those are all my grandchildren,” she said. “Most of them are all grown up now, except for Vicky’s boy…” she looked at Edward and smiled. “And now we have you. You’re just an angel sent from heaven, aren’t you?” 

He got bashful and looked at his feet. “I think so….”

“Aww, he’s just the sweetest thing!” she told me, I wasn’t sure if it was a compliment to me or solely to Edward, so I took it as both and said a simple “mh-hm.”

“And soon, Edward, we’ll put a picture of you up there,” 

His eyes lit up at her words. “Really…?”

“Yes, of course! you belong here just like everybody else,” said Mom, getting up and putting the pictures back. 

“I think I have a picture or two if you wanted me to mail them, Mom,” I offered. 

For once, she agreed with something I said. “Please do!!” she said. 

Edward returned to my side and nudged my shoulder with his. 

“What’s wrong, love?” I asked. 

“‘M hungry,” he whispered to me, embarrassed for Mom to hear. 

I was convinced she had superhuman hearing since she listened in so easily. 

“Oh, where did my mind go! You two must be starving,” she said. “There’s many places down the road that we can go to.”

I turned to Edward. “Sounds good with you?”

“Yes, please,” he relied. 

Mom took us to a small diner a few miles away. Of course, we got a few stares, but people were more occupied with their food. 

We got seated at a booth and Mom was quick to take the spot next to Edward. I sat across from them and watched Mom go over the menu with him. 

“Ooo, look,” she said, extending the menu so Edward could see. “They have custard here.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s like… really thick ice cream.” She explained. “You like ice cream, don’t you?” 

Edward was quick to nod. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“You can’t just feed him all sugar,” I interjected. “He’ll get a stomachache.” 

“Relax, will you? We’re just looking,” said Mom. 

“Could you look at the dinner part of the menu?”

“Fine,” she went back a page and continued to talk to Edward. “See anything you like?”

“... chicken salad, please.” He said. 

I couldn’t help but smile at him; maybe the weeks of exposing him to healthy food finally paid off. 

“That’s it??” exclaimed Mom. “No wonder you’re so skinny. Get something else, dear.”

I furrowed my brow. “Let him get what he wants.”

“I’m trying to keep his ribs from showing,” she argued. “now let him get something else.” 

Edward studied the menu for a little while longer, trying to find something that would make her happy. 

Mom spoke once more, “here, you like chicken, right? How about the chicken and waffles.” 

“Mom! That’s way too much,” I protested. 

“You just want him to starve to death.” 

“...I like waffles.” said Edward, with a shy smile. 

Mom ruffled his hair, messing up the part I did this morning. “I knew you would!” 

When the waiter came by, Mom placed Edward’s order for him, then hers. I waited until she was finished ordering damn near the whole menu for herself before I could tell him what I wanted. 

I braced myself for when the food came and all the different plates covered the table. 

“Mom, I can’t pay for all this…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s on me.” 

I murmured a thanks and set my food aside to help feed Edward. Of course, Mom had something to say from the first forkful I gave to him. 

“You’re feeding him a crumb at a time!” She scoffed. “No wonder he’s so skinny, give me the fork.” 

I obeyed without protest and took the chance to start on my own food. 

During the periodic times I looked up, Mom was forcing big forkfuls of food onto Edward. It reminded me of him getting force fed ambrosia at the barbecue: he forced a polite smile to my Mom and never told her no. 

The same process happened with dessert. 

Thankfully, all the food didn’t make him sick, it just made him tired. The moment we got back to Mom’s house, he was telling me how sleepy he was. I took his word for it, considering that he never admits when he’s tired. 

Mom led us to the guest room, where I tucked Edward in. 

“Why are the blankets so loose?” Demanded Mom. “Edward, dear, you must be freezing, huh?”

“But… I don’t think I’m cold…” he responded as politely as he could. 

“Nonsense,” she said, tucking the blankets tighter around him. “There’s a draft that comes at night, so I don’t want you going to bed with chill bumps.”

While she fixed his covers, I made sure his pillows were fluffed up for him. 

“What are you doing?” snapped Mom. “Give him more than one pillow to rest his head on. You have him sleeping flat like he’s on the floor.”

“I don’t want to hurt his neck propping him up with multiple pillows, Mom,” I explained. “It’s bad for your back.” 

“I’ve raised four kids and I’ve done it all the same. Each and every one of you turned out fine.” She stacked some pillows for Edward’s head. 

I sighed and dismissed it. I sat at the side of the bed and waited for her to finish. 

“... do I still get a story?” Asked the poor boy with round confused eyes. I wish that Mom wouldn’t bicker so much over him. 

“Of course, baby,” I said with a chuckle. 

“Read him the books I read to you when you were little!” Added Mom. “I’ll go find them-”

“Thanks, but we brought our own,” I said. Any new books at this hour would keep him up later than he has to be. 

I retrieved the book I packed from Edward’s bag. It was a collection, so there were multiple stories to choose from. 

“Which story do you want to read, love?” I asked him. 

“The one we read last night…” he paused to remember the name. “Pinocchio, right?”

“Mhm, that’s his name,” I murmured, flipping to the page. I couldn’t get through a sentence without Mom interrupting me. 

“You need to read with more expression, Nora,” she said. “With that voice, it could put anyone to sleep.”

_ That’s the point,  _ I wanted to say, but I stopped myself. 

“Would you like to do the honors, Mom?” I said, unable to mask my annoyance. 

“If I may?” 

I handed the book to her and rose from the bed. 

“Nora—” said Edward, sitting up and on the verge of coming with me. 

“It’s alright, baby. Nana’s gonna stay with you, okay?” I said, laying him back down and giving him his goodnight kiss. “See you in the morning.”

He relaxed and directed his attention to Mom’s dramatic reading, while I retreated to the couch for some much needed sleep. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whewwww chile these past weeks have been crazy for me, but I’ll try to update more frequently now that I have more free time now! Anyways, hope you enjoyed ^3^


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!! I missed you guys 💞💞💞

**_((Nora’s POV))_ **

_“You wanna try again?” I asked him._

_Edward gave me an enthusiastic nod, his hands twitching with excitement._

_I retrieved some more paper and set it between us. I placed a sheet in front of him and folded it into a small square, and did the same for myself.  
I held up the paper for him and picked up my own handheld scissors. “Remember where we started with the last ones?” _

_He was quick to shake his head with a shy smile, which told me that he did remember, he just wanted me to show him again._

_“So you start with this corner here,” I pointed to the bottom right corner. “And you cut a little zig zag.”_

_I patiently waited for him to copy my actions._

_With the Inventor still working on Edward’s real hands, he didn’t have the time to help Edward with his motor skills.  
Edward’s hands often stuttered, and he would look at me with an unsure glance, but I insisted that he was doing great. _

_“Now,” I said, once I saw that he was done. “We’re gonna unfold it once and-” I accidentally dropped my paper on the ground. “Oops, just a second.”_

_As I gathered the paper from the ground, I could hear small snipping noises. When I got back up, Edward opened up an intricate cutout of children holding hands._

_“Edward, how did you do that?!?” I exclaimed. “I never taught you that!”_

_He furrowed his brow. “...it’s wrong?”_

_“No, no, it’s not wrong, honey, it’s amazing!”_

_His eyes got wide, as if he was surprised at his own work._

_“You wanna show your Dad?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Okay, here let me hold it.”  
  
_

* * *

  
  


**_((Leo’s POV))_ **

Mom explained that kid’s _predicament_ before aunt Nora came over, but my heart almost leapt out of my chest when I saw him. 

When she said scissors for hands, I thought she meant something smaller than blades that took up a fourth of his body.

I was paralyzed out of fear, but felt myself loosen up upon seeing him hide behind aunt Nora, as if he was more afraid of me then I was of him. As they got closer, I saw all the scars on his face, and I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. 

“It’s alright, go say hi…” I heard Aunt Nora whisper to him. 

“Hi Edward! I’ve heard so much about you.” Greeted Mom with a bright smile. It baffled me that her eyes didn’t focus on his hands not once. “You probably don’t even know who I am, do you?” 

He hesitated and shook his head. 

Aunt Nora gave him a nudge. “Yes you do, remember the pictures Nana showed you?” She waited, but Edward still didn’t say a word. “Sorry, he’s shy.” She said to us. 

“It’s quite alright,” chuckled Mom. “Well I’m Vicky, and this is Leo,” she gestured to me. 

“Nice to meet you, Edward,” I wasn’t sure what else to say to him, so I simply waved. Edward was slouching so much that I felt like if I said anything else, it would make him flee. 

Even though he couldn't say three words to me, I couldn't help but feel his eyes on me, especially when I talked to Nora. It wasn’t in a mean way, or even a protective manner towards her. He was more confused than anything, with a hint of innocent jealousy; it was as if he had never seen her talk to another person his age.

“Leo!” exclaimed Nora, emerging from the kitchen with a beer in her hand. “When were you going to tell me you got a job??”

Mom followed after her, smiling and giggling as if they were girls again. From my guess, it wasn’t their first drink.

“I was gonna tell you after my first 90 days,” I said with a proud smile. 

“How do you like your first job, honey?”

“Well—”

Edward moved closer to Aunt Nora and nudged her arm gently.

“...I work too,” he murmured to her. 

She patted his cheek and ruffled his hair. “I know you do, sweetheart,” she said with a chuckle. “And I’m proud of the both of you.”

As Mom circled around the house, taking care of the laundry Dad left behind, Nora let me sneak sips of her beer. I couldn’t help but cough, it had been a while since I’ve had alcohol.

She giggled and elbowed my shoulder. “Keep it down,” she whispered. 

Edward, who was close next to her, gave us a confused look. “What’s that?” he said, more loudly than we would have liked. 

Nora stifled a drunken laugh and shushed him, “inside voice, Edward, shshsh…”

“This is my inside voice,” he said, confused.

“Inside inside voice,” she whispered. 

“Oh,” he matched her tone of voice. “Can I have some?”

“No, we can’t have another incident,” for a split second, her voice was low and serious.

Before I could ask, Mom returned. “Leo, why don’t you take the car and show Edward around?” She had a small jewelry box in her hands that had the familiar pungent smell of weed. Aunt Nora craned her neck with an excited glimmer in her eye. 

“But you promise you’d take me to get ice cream,” said Edward to Nora. 

“Oh, baby, I know,” she replied with a pained frown. “But Nora has a really bad headache. Leo will take you, isn’t that right?” 

“Uh… yeah, I’ll take him.” I said.

“Good boy,” she squeezed my shoulder with a smile. “Have fun, you two. Don’t be out for too late. I don’t want you out in the dark.”

“We won’t,” I replied, leading Edward to the garage. I could still feel his wide eyes on me. 

I helped him into the car and with his seatbelt.

When I made my way to the driver’s side, I couldn’t stand the silence anymore. 

“Don’t worry too much about them, Nora and my mom, I mean,” I said as I drove off. “They have a lot on their shoulders, they're just stressed and haven’t seen each other in a few months.”

“Why couldn’t I have some?” he asked, and I think it was the first thing he’s ever said to me. 

“...maybe… maybe another time,” I said. I didn’t want another so-called “incident” happening and it being my fault. “It takes some getting used to. Some people don’t like that stuff when they first try it.” 

He said nothing, and I felt his unblinking eyes piercing into my skin. 

After an internal debate on whether or not to say anything, I finally caved: “Got something on your mind?”

He stiffened and looked straight ahead with a frightened expression. 

“I don’t want to be rude but…” I tried saying as gently as I could. “Why do you keep staring at me?”

He didn’t say a word for a good minute or two. I was about to forget about it altogether, until he finally spoke up.

“...I’m supposed to look like you,” he said with a subtle pout. 

“What do you- oh…” I stopped at a red light and finally got one good look at his hands. “Well… that’s not true, buddy…” I tried to form my words carefully. “Not everyone looks the same…”

“Why can’t I look like you?” He sounded like a jealous little kid. 

“I don’t know… I don’t control how babies are made,” I replied. I realized how mean I sounded, so I added: “Plus, I think you look kinda cool. I wish I looked like you.” 

“...do you mean it…?” 

“Yeah, you look like a superhero character,” I said. “Like you could save the world or something.” 

That satisfied him, and he looked down at his hands, trying to hide a smile. 

I scanned my surroundings and pulled into a McDonald’s. “Hey, you said you wanted ice cream?” 

“Yes please,” he said, distracted by the loud red and yellow colors that plagued the building. 

“You ever been to McDonald's?”

He shook his head. 

“Oh, you’ll love it,” I said, parking the car. “The fries are the best.” 

As I shut the engine off, I saw an employee dressed as Ronald McDonald taking a smoke break. He looked so worn out, I could help but laugh. 

I heard a small gasp from the passenger’s side. Edward was trembling, shrinking away from the clown. 

“Hey,” I said stifling a smile. “It’s just Ronald, he’s a nice guy.” I reached for his shoulder, but he shook me off, shrinking even deeper in his seat. 

“Alright, alright,” I said with a sigh. I couldn’t blame him, I’m sure anyone who’s never been to Ronald McDonald would be scared of him at first glance. I know I was creeped out by him when I was a kid. 

I got out of the car and walked around and opened the door for him. 

“Cmon out,” I said. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

Edward’s eyes traveled to the Ronald McDonald, which made him further retreat into the seat. 

“Do you want ice cream or not?” I snapped, a little agitated. When he still didn’t budge, I tugged as his arm. 

Although it startled him, it gave him the motivation to follow me inside. As we passed the clown, he seemed more scared of Edward than Edward was scared of him. 

The moment we walked in, the employee at the cash register stared at Edward with fascination. When it was our turn to order, she blurted out: “Those aren’t real, are they?”

Edward and I spoke in unison; he said a small “yes” and I said an overpowering “no.” 

“No,” I repeated after Edward silently got the hint. “He likes costumes and pranks and stuff.” 

She smiled, her mouth opening in awe. “That’s pretty cool. Scared me for a second.” 

“Are _those_ real?” Blurted Edward, gesturing to her numerous facial piercings. He was obviously serious, but I was thankful that the girl took it as a joke and laughed it off. 

“Anyway, what can I get for you two?” She asked. 

I ordered the same thing for the both of us: fries and a medium shake. 

I had to give the girl the cash quickly, because I could see that Edward was already wandering off. 

“Keep the change, thank you,” I told her, before chasing after him. I smiled apologetically to the people giving him a sideways look. 

“Hey, let’s sit over here,” I told him, pointing to an isolated corner. 

We sat down and waited in awkward silence for the food. 

As we were waiting, I noticed Edward messing with a stack of napkins. 

“What’re you doing with that- oh-” 

He ignored me and started snipping away, leaving small paper pieces everywhere. But the end result was impressive: a perfectly symmetrical butterfly. 

“I- how’d you do that?” I murmured. 

He shrugged, clearly confused by my awe. 

“Can you do it again?”

“Okay.” And just like that, he got to working on another one. 

While he was doing this, the girl came by with our food. 

“I added Sprites on the house, you can’t just drink a shake alone,” she said. 

“Thank you,” I nodded to her, and she gave me a flirty wink, or at least I thought it was. 

She paused and frowned at all the napkin debris on the floor, but her spirits lifted when she saw Edward’s creations. “Woah! You did that?” 

“Yes.” He said softly. 

“That’s so cool! Can I have one?” 

Edward smiled and nudged the butterfly across the table to her. 

“You’re sweet,” she said, picking up the napkin butterfly. “Hey, if you guys sit tight, I’ll be off work in a few minutes if you wanna hang out?”

Edward looked out the window. “It’s gonna get dark soon,” he observed. 

“It’ll be fine. Nora will live,” I said, before directing my attention to the girl. “We’ll wait right here.” 

“Alright, sounds good,” she said, and went on her way. 

Edward looked at the sun setting one last time before getting started on his shake. 

“What’s it like?” He asked after a brief period of silence. 

“Hm?”

“Soda?”

“... you’ve never had soda before?” 

He shook his head. 

“Huh…” I tried to recall what my mom told me about him, that he was neglected or something. But even as a kid he had soda, right?  
“Well, that changes today,” I put the straw in for him and gave it to him. 

Edward took an apprehensive sip, then made a scrunched up face. 

I couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s good, isn’t it?”

“No… it’s spicy…” 

“It’s not _spicy_ ,” I corrected him. “It’s fizzy. If you don’t like it, you can give it to me.”

Edward ignored me and continued sipping, taking more and more of a liking to it as he went on. It was only a few seconds until the drink completely disappeared. 

“Guess it wasn’t so bad, huh?” I said. “Speaking of trying things, dip your fries in the shake. It’s good.”

“People do that?” He asked, with the same scrunched up face as when he tried the soda. 

“Some do. I think it’s good,” I shrugged. “Wanna try it?” 

“Ok…” 

I removed the lid from his cup and nudged the fries closer so he could dip them. 

He had trouble picking up a fry, and after numerous attempts, he ended up dropping each one.

“Does Nora help you with that?” I finally asked after a long period of silence. 

Edward nodded shyly. 

“Here, I got it,” I moved to the seat next to him and fed him a fry dipped in the shake. “Is it good?”

“...yeah… it _is_ …” he sounded surprised at himself. “Who thought of this?”

“Who knows… but I’m glad they did…” I gave him another fry in between dipping my own. 

The girl came back to us by the time we finished up. I felt awful because her name tag was gone, and it was far too late to ask for her name. But on the other hand, she didn’t know our names either. 

Somehow, we ended up in the back of McDonald’s, sitting on the curb and watching the remainder of the sunset. The girl and I talked it up, while Edward snipped away at some napkins I brought out for him so he wouldn’t get bored. 

The girl paused to retrieve a joint from inside her jacket. “Sorry, it’s been a long day,” she said. “You got a light?” 

“Uh.. yeah… hold on,” I felt my pockets until I found my lighter and I lit the joint for her. 

She took a few puffs and handed it to me. I took a controlled drag, since I had to drive me and Edward home and I didn’t want to be too stoned. 

“And what about your friend?” She asked. “You aren’t gonna share?” 

_I don’t know_ … I wanted to say. But the other side of my brain was telling me something completely different. 

He’s a teenager, just like me. He just wants to be a normal kid. 

“Here, Edward,” I held up the joint to his mouth. 

“What is it?” He asked. 

“Weed.” I answered, ignoring the giggles from the girl. 

Even though he clearly didn’t know what it was, he took a puff anyway. 

He let out a dry cough, but he seemed fine after getting used to it. I let him take another drag before handing it back to the girl. 

As the sky became dark, Edward’s scars faded to the naked eye. 

I studied his face as he was enjoying his high, and for a moment, I forgot that he was any different from me or the girl. 

  
  
  



End file.
